To See What Can't Be Seen
by Erreki
Summary: Kakashi and his team stay at an inn for the night only to find that the town they are in could help them with their mission. The people they meet may not be what they seem to be and one may come between Kakashi and one of his closest friends. *Love Tri.*
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Kakashi, I think we should stop for the night!" Kiba yelled to the team leader for their mission, trying to make his voice heard over the strong winds that picked up half an hour ago.

"This weather is going to get a lot worse, we need to find an inn or some form of shelter, the area we're in at the moment will flood when it rains. So we keep going." Kakashi called back to the dog ninja and the other members of his team. Genma sighed and looked ahead, thankful to see what looked like a large building in the far distance. But he knew that they all had a long way to go yet before they reached this building and there was always a chance that it was private property or belonged to someone who didn't want to house a group of ninja for then night. While Kakashi, Genma and Kiba looked ahead to the building, the remaining human of the group was distracted with other thoughts. Naruto thought of his girlfriend, wondering if she was okay. Like him, Hinata had been sent out on a mission of the same rank. He hoped she was back in the safety of Konoha already. While he knew the young Hyuga could look after herself and her team mates would look after her, he still worried. Hinata's happiness and safety along with his dream of becoming Hokage were the only things he was ever serious about.

As the group bounded from branch to branch, trying to reach the only building in sight, thunder suddenly began to rumble as the clouds darkened and drops of rain started to fall. At first they were occasional and ignorable but soon the wind picked up fiercer as the rain pelted down on them painfully and ice cold. All of the soaking wet, frozen ninja mentally thanked God as they reached the end of the forest and hit the wet ground. Now they could see what the thick forest had hidden from them. A large town stood before them. If it wasn't for the raging storm, Kakashi was sure that there would be a surging nightlife. However now the only people about were hurriedly moving from one building to another. The building the leaf ninja had kept their eyes on was the closest.

Warmth and a sense of relief washed over them as they knocked and then entered. The brightly light hall was welcoming, vases of thriving wild flowers were strategically placed to bring a heavenly but not too overpowering scent to the building.

"Welcome!" a male voice greeted, all four of the men looked up to see a man in his mid fifties smile warmly from over part of the banister of the staircase. The smile however did not fully reach his eyes as he spotted the ninja headbands. Caution and slight worry flickered in his pale brown eyes.

"Evening," Kakashi said warmly before scratching the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you could tell us if this is an inn, and if it isn't would you be able to direct us to one?"

At this, the grinned and walked down the stairs and before the desk.

"Best inn in town. I'm Hideo, the owner. How many rooms?" he asked.

"Two should be fine and if possible two beds in each." Genma said.

"No problem. I'll give you fellas numbers thirty and thirty four. They each have two double beds and en suite bathrooms. The lounge and bar are just in there…" Hideo informed them pointing to the large archway to the right of them. "You can dry yourselves and warm up in there and get one of the girls to get you some drinks and warm food." he continued before passing over two sets of keys to Kakashi with a smile.

"Thank you very much, Hideo-san." Genma said gratefully. At the mention of girls, he had a glint in his eye and made his way to the lounge with Kakashi, Kiba, Akamaru(who Hideo hadn't paid any attention to) and Naruto.

The sound of the storm crashed around them, making the ninja all the more thankful that they were inside and getting warmer by the second. "Ahh, this sofa is so comfortable! I hope the beds are this good." Kiba sighed out as he relaxed further.

"Actually they're a lot better…" a voice came from behind the relaxing group, making them jump. Slowly they all turned their heads to see a young woman smiling as she held a tray against her chest. Rather than look at them, she stared at the crackling fire. Genma eyed the woman up and down with a growing smirk.

"And you can give us your word that the beds are beyond compare?" he asked.

"Trust me, _everything in this inn is beyond compare. We aim for complete customer satisfaction." the woman smirked. "So, Hideo tells me to get you all anything you want. So what'll it be?" she asked._

"_Have you got any ramen?" Naruto asked excitedly. "With extra meat and vegetables?"_

"_Some salt-broiled saury for me, and some sake for everyone to drink." Kakashi added. _

"_Chicken curry." Genma said with a smile._

"_And how hot do you want it?" the woman asked in a seemingly innocent tone but all of the men could hear the playful undertone of her statement._

"_Hot enough for my complete customer satisfaction, if you wouldn't mind." _

"_Beef sukiyaki for me, thanks." Kiba said, thinking it best to have the food before the worker got too distracted by Genma and his flirting. The woman smiled and gave them a small bow. _

"_Coming right up." she said before walking towards the kitchen. Genma grinning as she walked away._

"_I feel as though I could live in this place forever." he said happily as he watched another young woman walk into the kitchen._

"_Don't get too comfortable Genma, we still have a mission to do." Kakashi told his friend, his faithful Icha Icha book in his hand._

"_What the hell are you doing with that?" Genma hissed as he spotted their waitress come out of the kitchen and walk over to the bar. _

"_I thought it would be obvious…what else do people do with books?" The masked ninja asked in his usual calm and laid back manner._

"_Yeah but what if that waitress sees you with it. She'll think bad of me for associating myself with a literary pervert like you." _

"_You're one to talk, Genma." Kiba snorted. "You don't even have that girl's name and you started flirting with her as soon as she appeared."_

"_Plus we all saw you trying to see behind the tray to see her chest and I bet when she comes to serve the food and drink you'll look down her top and then up her skirt while she's preoccupied." Naruto added. "So in a way you're worse than Kakashi-sensei." the blonde, still unable to stop calling his former teacher 'sensei'._

"_How am I worse than him?" Genma asked in shock._

"_Not everyone knows what those books are like at a first glance…but everyone knows a leering pervert when they see one." Kiba explained logically. _

_A second waitress came to the group and smiled "Hey, my name is Ami and I'll be taking over as your waitress. Would you all like to move to the dining room or wait a little longer?" she asked giving them all a wide, bright smile._

"_We'll go now." Kiba decided quickly before Genma got a chance to start his nonsense again. Kakashi looked up from his book and sighed before he stood with his group and followed the waitress to the dining room._

"_So who was our previous waitress and where did she go?" Naruto asked curiously. _

"_Oh! She isn't really a waitress, Sayuri is actually the manager of this place." Ami told them cheerfully._

"_She seems too young to be a manager…" Kakashi mused._

"_Well she's been here since Hideo-san opened this place so there's no one he trusts more to help him run the place." _

"_How long has the inn been open?" _

"_Just passed ten years this spring. Here we go. If you sit down and wait, I'll be back with your sake and food." Ami bowed to them once she stopped at the table and skipped away._

_Just as the ninja finished their meal- Akamaru included as Ami appeared with a bowl of water and pet food for the large dog- the sound of an argument came from the lounge. The leaf ninja got to their feet and opened the door to see Hideo and another man shouting._

"_Oh no! They're at it again…" Ami whimpered, appearing next to Kiba, biting her lip nervously._

"_What's happening?" Naruto asked._

"_Oh it's nothing! Kenta just doesn't agree with some of Hideo's actions. It's just a father son thing."_

"_Would you just listen? We don't know why they are here!" Kenta shouted at his father._

"_It's none of our business! They are our customers."_

"_But HE could have hired them to come here! Just because someone has a headband doesn't make them our allies!" _

"_For once would you trust me, son? We are protected no matter what happens, you know that." Hideo snapped back at his child. _

"_If you two are going to argue, I suggest that you do it outside or in a private room." a calm, serene voice sighed from the bar, effectively silencing the two family members. "You don't want to disrupt our sleeping guests or make our awake ones feel uncomfortable or unwelcome." Hideo rubbed the back of his neck while Kenta looked at the floor. _

"_Sorry Sayuri…"_

"_It isn't me you need to apologize to and Kenta you should know that Kosuke has too big of an ego to pay for ninja to do a job for him." she added before walking out of the room. _

"_Come on we should go to our rooms. Kiba, Naruto you two come to our room before hand. We all need to discuss our mission." Kakashi said in a low voice so only his team-mates could hear him. The masked ninja watched silently as Kenta watched his father leave the room before he looked to the Konoha men. Immediately his eyes narrowed at the group, his jaw clenched and hands fisted at his sides before he turned on his heel and away from them. _

"_So, it looks like we will have to stay here a little longer than one night…" Kakashi told them as he leaned against the wall._

"_What made you decide that?" Naruto asked with a frown._

"_You heard the name that girl used. Our target is a man called Kosuke and his criminal followers. We have to find their hideout and stop them before they get too powerful. If we investigate around this town we might have an easier time in finding this man. He might even come to this inn if we're lucky." he explained. _

"_But we'll have to be careful…Hideo's son seems really suspicious of us. Even Hideo seemed suspicious of us when we entered." Genma stated with a small smirk._

"_That is true and that is why we have to be extremely careful. We don't know these people and one of them might betray us to Kosuke if we let our mission be known to them." Kakashi said before pushing off of the wall and sat down on one of the beds. "We should all get to sleep now. It'll be a long day tomorrow." he yawned before saying goodnight to Kiba and Naruto as they and Akamaru headed to their room two doors down, all of them unaware that someone had heard their full conversation. _


	2. Chapter 2

"Goood morning!" Ami's cheerful voice called happily as the young girl watched Genma, Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru make their way down the stairs. "Did you all sleep well?" she asked.

"One of the best nights sleep I've had. That girl Sayuri was right after all." Genma said with a smile as he stretched before looking around.

"She tends to be right about a lot of things. She isn't here just in case you are wondering." Ami giggled before looking around. "Where is the other member of your group? The masked guy."

"He wasn't in his bed when I woke up, which is strange for him." Genma said with a shrug. "He'll turn up sooner or later." he said in a carefree voice, throwing Ami a dazzling smile. The waitress giggled, blushed and took the present group members to the dining room for breakfast. As they entered the room, the group spotted Kenta and Hideo talking in low voices by the window. Kenta turned his head and glared at the leaf ninja. "You all leaving today?" he asked icily.

"Nope, we're staying a few more days to rest up and gather supplies." Genma answered with a smug smirk. He slowly pulled the senbon from his mouth and twisted it agilely around in his fingers as he looked at the breakfast menu and thought to what Kakashi was up to.

Kakashi leaned against the water tank on the roof of a home in the heart of the town. It seemed that the rain from the storm the night before had dried up in the summer heat. As he waited for the sun to light the buildings and the people to come out of their homes, he took the time to get a better understanding of the town's layout and surrounding area. From what he gathered it was a town completely surrounded by nature- a thick forest around half and a steep mountain face with rocky valleys on the other. The town itself had plenty of businesses and homes, all looking to be well kept. It was obvious that this was a wealthy place and didn't seem like it would become poverty stricken anytime soon. As he waited for someone suspicious or looked to be in anyway linked to their mission's target, the Copy ninja sat back and read his small orange book.

"Sayuri! You're out early. With the way you work at the inn I would have thought Hideo would allow you at least one lazy day." a kind voice drifted up, ending the peaceful tranquillity of the early morning. Kakashi recalled that Sayuri had mentioned Kosuke the night before and looked over the roof to see the inn manager smiling as she placed red apples into a brown paper bag from the stall outside of the shop. In all honesty this was Kakashi's first time taking a good look at the girl. The previous times he was too tired from travelling, reading his book or distracted by a family argument to pay attention to the appearance of the townspeople. From the angle he was at, her medium ruby red hair was tied back and the roof's shadow hid her face from view.

"Well today is the start of my weekend off but I didn't want to waste the day on lying in bed…I'll go for a walk around the town and go into the forest, take it easy for a change." she explained. Her voice was gentle and calm. The melodic tone of her voice was almost soothing, not too loud or too quiet. Despite it's tenderness and mild register, Kakashi could hear that she was a confident person. This was clear too in how she stood; completely relaxed and at ease with herself. She stood straight and didn't fidget like some would.

The old grocer laughed and grinned at the woman in front of him. "You take care of yourself and promise me you'll laze about tomorrow. No getting up early, you hear me?" he asked.

"I will, I will." she conceded with a laugh, only to freeze as the grocer placed a wrapped paper bag into her hands.

"Some fresh strawberries as well. Those and the apples are on me Sayuri." he told her with a soft, genuine smile.

"Thank you very much." the manager replied with a deep bow. She straightened up and grasped the old man's hand and gave it a tight squeeze before she turned and walked on.

"Ah such a good girl, shame though…" the old grocer sighed to himself. Kakashi frowned at the man's mutter and looked towards the female walking away. He looked around the town slowly, so far there was no one really about, a few groups of children playing with each other or walking with a parent. The odd early morning shopper or the shop owners themselves. Nothing remotely interesting yet. The inn manager on the other hand, might have some information…or give him some sort of a lead.

However he knew nothing about her, for now it would be best to follow and watch before deciding how to act. Putting his book away, the silver haired ninja set off, hopping from roof to roof silently and quickly followed the red head. For the most part she did as she had told the grocer, walked around town and then the forest. He was sorely tempted to turn and go back to the inn, he hadn't even eaten breakfast but by now it would be closer to lunchtime. Just because he was a ninja and trained himself to endure prolonged periods without eating, didn't mean he liked the idea of missing a meal. He stopped on the branch of a tree and looked to see Sayuri lift her hand to release the tie in her hair. Slowly she slid her fingered through the locks and shook them out. She turned her head to the side and frowned slightly. Now Kakashi could see her face properly. He could see why Genma's interested had piqued when he first saw her last night. Unlike her voice, her features were sharper but the real contrast was her eyes; against the flame red hair, her eyes were ice blue. Her full, soft lips parted and slid into a smile as she tilted her head back and walked passed the last line of trees and into the sunlight that filled the clearing. Kakashi leapt to the next tree to see Sayuri stretching her arms out above her head and roll her head back as she walked towards the edge of the grass to sit next to the river flowing, separating this area of the forest from another.

The peace and tranquillity of this place was overpowering and soon Kakashi found himself sitting in the cool shade of the tree, his back against the bark and his book in hand. Occasionally he'd glance to Sayuri who would be lying down on the grass. She had dipped one of the apples into the river to clean it before biting into it. He had been sorely tempted to try and take one of the apples of a few strawberries from the paper bags but resisted, not wanting to startle the woman or let his presence be known to her. He would also feel wrong for stealing from one of the people that was giving him and his team a place to stay without any questions about their mission. His half lidded gaze slipped away from the printed text of his book to watch curiously as Sayuri rolled over onto her stomach and began to dig at the earth until she'd made a small but deep hole. Slowly she broke open the small remaining core of the apple and placed the seeds inside before covering the hole again with the dug up earth. With a satisfied smile, Sayuri got to her feet and sighed. Slowly she kicked off her heeled sandals and lifted her hands to the sash around her waist that held her robe in place. It was then Kakashi stiffened in his place on the branch. Dozens of thoughts began to whirl in his head. He didn't know this woman and no matter if he knew her or not, spying on her like this would be wrong. But then again, the Intel that ANBU gathered stated that members of Kosuke's criminal followers were all branded by the same tattoo on their upper right arm. This was an opportunity to check now if this woman was just a simple inn manager or something else entirely.

It seemed like an eternity as the woman untied the sash and slowly pulled it away from the soft purple fabric. The gentle wind blew playfully through her hair and lightly pushed the robe off of her shoulders while she let the sash slip from her fingers and coil in the grass at her feet. As the refreshing breeze continued, Sayuri held onto the ends of her robe before she turned her back to the trees and slowly began to push the garment further down. Kakashi cursed mentally, with her back to him and the sun at the angle, her upper right arm could not be seen. However something did catch his eye, a slow smirk shaped his lips as he looked at her body properly. When it was covered by the robe, she had no definite shape, he could now see her properly. Underneath the robe as a slender, curved body that was now only covered by a strapless black top and black shorts that reached her lower thigh. The fabric clung to her like a second skin and it looked good he had to admit. He leaned forward instinctively as she began to head towards the edge of the river and soon something shone into his eye, blinding him for a moment, it wasn't until he heard a splash that it was gone. The leaf ninja blinked and looked up, unsure of what had caused the bright light to shine into his eyes. Just as his visible eye adjusted again, Sayuri slowly rose to stand in the river, the water level at her waist. She cupped her hands in the water and poured the cold liquid over her shoulders and neck.

"HEY KAKASHI-SENSEI!" The sudden yell, made Sayuri jump. Startled and caught off guard, she lost her footing on the riverbed and fell under with a loud splash.

Kakashi silently thanked Naruto for causing this, now he could get away before she or his team-mates knew that he had been there. Swiftly he made a hand sign and appeared on the branch of a tree in the middle of the forest. Up ahead he could see the blond spikes of Naruto's hair. It was when he came closer and a ray of sunshine shone down from a gap in the trees that the same bright light from before shone into his visible eye. Kakashi tensed, the light was created from the light hitting his former student's headband. That could only mean one of two things; Sayuri either had a ninja headband somewhere on her body and he hadn't noticed or, a ninja had been somewhere in the area. The latter seemed unlikely, either way he was angry with himself for not noticing something. With his jaw clenched, he leapt down from the branch before Naruto rushed passed him.

"There you are!" the blonde grinned happily. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Why didn't you get Kiba to send Akamaru out instead he could have found me easily?" he asked.

"Kiba wanted to stay at the inn with Akamaru, said you'd come back when you wanted. Genma stayed in the town to look for you there and I was left to look in the forest." he explained folding his hands behind his head. "So what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I decided to take a walk and get a good understanding of the town's layout and its surrounding area." Kakashi shrugged, keeping calm. "Come on, we'll head back to the inn." he sighed. If Sayuri did have a headband that meant she could be an enemy. He couldn't just outright ask her, he'd have to be subtle and test her.

Back at the inn later that afternoon Kakashi sat on the sofa next to Naruto. Sighing, Kakashi reached into his pouch and tensed, his eye widened in shock. His beloved Icha Icha wasn't there and he'd only brought one of the books for his mission. "Hey, you with the mask." the gruff voice of Kenta sounded, Kakashi looked up and frowned.

"Yes?"

"You're wanted at the front desk." the young man said sharply before turning and walking off to the bar. Kakashi's mind was distracted as he got up and headed to the front desk. The only one at the large desk was Sayuri.

"Did you need me for any-" he began only for the woman to turn and shove something into his stomach. Shocked and winded, Kakashi began to double over only for Sayuri's hand to connect sharply with the side of his head.

"I hate perverts like you but I'll add something extra to your overall bill as payment, I'm not some sort of showgirl for your entertainment." she hissed angrily at him before storming up the stairs. Kakashi looked down to see the orange cover of Icha Icha staring up at him. Inwardly he groaned and looked to the staircase. Sighing he began to climb the stairs slowly, knowing to apologize and knowing that it wouldn't be easy.


	3. Chapter 3

"I wonder what's taking Kakashi-sensei so long…" Naruto sighed looking at the clock across the room.

"What? Where did he go?" Kiba asked, looking up from his seat on the floor next to Akamaru in front of the fire.

"That Kenta guy told him he was wanted at the front desk. He's been gone for over twenty minutes now…" Naruto told him with a frown, only to jump when a loud piercing shriek filled the inn.

-Twenty Minutes Earlier-

Kakashi stood looking at the door, his hand curled into a first and raised, ready to knock. Behind the door he heard the dull thuds of stomping feet and watched as the door was retched open. The first thing he saw was the locks of ruby twisting and swirling in the air as Sayuri walked into her room again, not spending any time to give him the time of day.

"You're going to make the inn look bad if you hover outside of my room. The guests will think you're here to complain about something." she said sharply, making it clear for Kakashi to come in. The ninja gave a low chuckle under his breath. "Don't laugh at that." The manager snapped making Kakashi frown. She wasn't looking at him, in fact she wasn't even in the same room as him- she'd gone into her en suite- and his laugh wasn't even audible, so how could she hear him?

"What did you come here for?" she asked in an annoyed tone from the en suite.

"I came to apologize…" he said genuinely. "I'm sorry, miss."

"For what?" Sayuri asked, those few words weren't going to be enough for her. It looked liked he'd have to tell her.

"Following you this morning, it wasn't my intention at first. You see my group have a mission and last night you mentioned someone that we are meant to target." he paused and nothing but silence filled the room. Slowly her hand appeared at the doorway and she leaned against it. Her head slightly hung but she continued to look at the wall in front of her, she was refusing to look at Kakashi. "Kosuke?" she asked.

"Yes. Since you mentioned him, it meant you knew him so when I spotted you this morning I followed to see if you were really going to do what you'd said to the grocer. And when you were going to the river I recalled that Kosuke's followers are branded with a tattoo on their upper right arm; a scythe and crow next to it. That's all I wanted to see but couldn't." he explained. "But how did you find my book? Where was it?" he asked, not wanting to bring up his suspicions of her being a ninja just yet.

"On the ground next to the tree you were in. You'd dropped it before your team-mate began to yell for you." she said sternly.

"You knew I was there that long?" he asked unable to keep the impressed tone from his voice. He'd hidden his chakra well and stayed out of sight the entire time.

"Before then actually but that's not of any importance. You want to know about Kosuke. All I'll tell you is to be careful. This town is under his control, all rouges and criminals know to behave if they decide to stay here for a while. You and your team should have come in disguise. Word will have reached him by now of your being here. That's why Kenta doesn't like you being here for so long. The longer you stay in here, the longer you make Hideo traitor for housing foreign ninja who might be out to get him. Which in this case is true." Sayuri said heavily.

"Where is he based?" Kakashi asked seriously, the sudden stiffness in her body told him she knew.

"I've told you all that you are going to get from me, ninja." she said harshly, pushing away from the wooden frame and to the room door, Sharply opening it. "Leave." Kakashi turned and walked to the door but went no further. He put out his hand and began to push it closed. But Sayuri wasn't for giving in, she tightened her grip and tensed her muscles to challenge Kakashi. The door stopped halfway between the two. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed before putting more force against the door, smirking as Sayuri gritted against the added force. Fiercely she set her foot back against the doorframe and pushed harder.

However Sayuri knew the struggle would have to end soon, so when the ninja pushed again, she swiftly stepped away from the door, allowing him to lurch forward and hit his shoulder against the wood as it slammed shut. Kakashi grunted and glared at the red head who was heading to the en suite, clearly trying to separate herself from him. With his ninja speed, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, swiftly throwing her against the closed bedroom door, but made sure not to throw her too hard. His hand held onto her shoulder firmly, not letting her get away.

"I don't like the idea of threatening you but I want to know where Kosuke's base is." he said in a low voice.

"And I don't like the idea of telling you twice; you aren't getting anything more from me. Now leave this room or stay to regret it." she growled out.

"I'd think someone like you would like the idea of ninja getting rid of a criminal gang -that according to you is running the town you live in. So why won't you cooperate?" he questioned her.

"Someone like me? You don't know a damn thing about me OR this town! You stumbled on this place by chance and now that you find out it's someway linked to your mission you think you know what the people want?" she demanded angrily. "Cooperating with you is more trouble than it's worth besides your leader sent you out on this mission, not me. So do your job, unless of course you and your team are weak need a mere inn manager to do it for you." she smirked. Kakashi ground his teeth together angrily.

"Don't get so worked up, I know it must be hard for a group of four ninja and a dog to sniff out a building large enough to house weapons, criminals, rouge ninja and their egotistical, sadistic leader. A place like that would need privacy, good defence and a way to make sure your enemy could only enter and leave one way." Sayuri said innocently. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her as he took in what she was saying. Her tone was condescending and defiant but what as he listened, she was clearly helping him.

"Thank you." he said. Sayuri took a deep breath and nodded, closing her eyes.

"You're welcome but now I really have to make your team leave here for good…You should grab your things quickly." she whispered. Kakashi tilted his head at her in confusion before wincing as a loud scream filled the room. Taking this as his sign to leave, Kakashi made a handsign and disappeared from the room, appearing in his own just in time to hear someone bursting into Sayuri's room.

"Sayuri! What happened?" someone demanded.

"O-one of the ninja!" he heard her sob. "He…he…" she broke off with more panicked sobs. Kakashi hurried to get his and Genma's gear before rushing down to the lounge to spot Kiba and Naruto.

"We're leaving. Now!" he said sharply. "We've outstayed our welcome."

"B-but Genma isn't back yet." Naruto said.

"We'll find him in town." Kakashi said, looking up to see Kenta glaring down at him along with some of the inn staff. Kakashi looked to the two ninja and Akamaru, without wasting anytime they ran knowing that they couldn't fight civilians.

The inn owner's son looked at the three ninja with deadly intent. "Get them."

"Kenta, aren't you coming with us?" the bartender asked.

"Someone needs to stay with Sayuri."

"So she pretended that you attacked her after giving you some information on where to find Kosuke and his base?" Kiba asked as they ran. "Why?"

"Kosuke runs this town, he knows we're here and is suspicious of us. Those that run the inn are at risk of suffering by his hand for just letting us stay. If Kosuke found out Sayuri helped us, he'd go after her and the inn. Saying one of us attacked her sets us as the target, focus is shifted away from her."

"So to lessen the target on her, she had to create a bigger one on us. I mean we have been getting hostile stares from a lot of people in that inn, they're probably just scared of Kosuke and his followers of taking it out on them." Kiba said, beginning to understand while Akamaru let out a loud bark of agreement.

"Okay, first we find Genma and head back to the inn." Kakashi said.

"WHAT? But we just left there!" Naruto complained.

"I know that but this time we go in disguise as rouge ninja. If word reaches Kosuke about us being run out of town and about the attack, he or one of his subordinates might go to the inn." he explained. "Kiba can you or Akamaru sniff Genma out?"

The two sniffed the air before Akamaru barked and shot to the right, leading them down through the back alleyways of a bar. The large dog came to a halt and sniffed before whining.

"All this stench of rubbish in the bins and the ground isn't helping…" Kiba sighed, looking around.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto called, Kakashi and Kiba looked up to see Naruto approach. There in his hand was Genma's headband with blood on the cloth and metal. The three men looked at each other silently.

"Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Get your disguises ready." he ordered before looking to Kiba. "Akamaru can't come near the inn. Keep him at a safe distance but close enough for you to call him if we need to fight."

Kiba nodded before the three made their handsigns.

Pain, so much pain. Genma could feel it getting stronger and more pronounced as he slowly came to. And with each passing second he wished he was still unconscious. Wincing, he slowly began to open his eyes. Slowly he tried to breath through the pain as his eyes adjusted. He was not in the bar that was for sure.

"Yo, he's finally awake." a gruff voice said.

"'Bout time. Too bad the boss has gone out on business. Don't worry ninja, you'll be glad of this time. The Boss don't like ninja comin' in here to try and kill him and us for that matter." another chuckled darkly. Genma coughed and spat out the blood in his mouth. He'd dropped his guard and he knew that…he had been in a perfectly good bar with good drink that now seemed to have been spiked with a strong drug. He had no energy and very little chakra. For now he'd have to wait for Kakashi and the others to get him. His half opened eyes scanned the chains across his bare chest, around his waist, legs and ankles that were secured to the wall behind him. He didn't dare lay his back against it, it was rough stone with thin but sharp spikes scattered around it. His wrists were chained behind his back tightly, he had to force himself not to move backwards as much as he wanted to rest his exhausted, pain filled body. He looked up as the ornately carved door slowly opened from the end of the room.

"Welcome back. No word from the boss?" one of the men asked as the figure walked closer.

"He won't be back until tomorrow. Gives the ninja some time to rest and the others to look for his little friends."

Genma frowned and watched as the figure came closer and knelt down in front of him, a wicked, twisted smile on their face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice cracked and strained more with every word that came from his mouth. He gritted his teeth when a hand roughly locked itself in his head and sharply pulled their head back.

"I'm here to make sure you thoroughly enjoy your stay here, Genma…waitress pay isn't that much but you get to hear a lot of interesting things. Now, you just rest, this is the best suite in the place so enjoy. Pretty soon your friends will be next to you or waiting for you in the afterlife."

Genma glared weakly at Ami as she laughed. Her voice was no longer overly cheerful and childish but laced with venom and malice.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT YOU LOST THEM?" Kenta yelled at the group when they returned.

"They're ninja Kenta, besides they won't attack civilians so they just ran. Probably out in the forest and hiding by now." the bartender explained, trying to get his breath back before looking over to Sayuri who was holding her cheek and a glass of whiskey that shook in her free hand.

"Kenta…did you…?" he asked.

"Yeah, I got angry and lashed out." he sighed, looking over to the manager. "Sayu…" he began but Sayuri just got to her feet and made her way out of the room.

"I've had it with this town, I've been here long enough." she muttered, passing the glass to Kenta as she went.

"What the hell do you mean Sayu?"

"I mean Kenta, that I was only meant to stay here a few months not a whole decade!" she said, walking up the stairs to her room, Kenta following directly behind her. When she walked into the room she froze, feeling a chilling presence in her room. Her body trembled slightly as a hand slowly cupped her face. Soon she was grabbed roughly by the throat and slammed into the wall. Sayuri choked and dug her nails into his hand while pushing to make him release her. Kosuke held on and lifted her away from the wall only to slam her back into it again.

"My dear Sayuri…" his smooth voice coaxed in her ear. "I know it was wrong for Kenta to hit you but to make such bold statements that you're going to leave… well that just breaks my heart." he sighed in a pained, saddened voice before he dropped her to the floor. She gasped and coughed violently, letting the air fill her lungs again. Kosuke looked to Kenta.

"Leave us Kenta, it seems I need to persuade Sayuri to stay…" he said with a dark laugh. Kenta tensed, looked to Sayuri before nodding and leaving the door, closing the door behind him. As he slowly made his way down the large staircase he heard Sayuri's yelp of pain soon followed by a crash and thud. 'Poor, stupid girl…' he thought to himself, walking into the bar and grabbing the first bottle of alcohol he saw before chugging it back. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and tense, only for it to be broken when the front door opened.

"We're closed, get the hell out." Kenta snapped, only to tense when in a flash, a large dagger was lodged into the bar surface, less than a centimetre away from Kenta's hand.

"Wanna say that again kid?" a low rumbling voice croaked in his ear. Kenta slowly turned his head to smirk at the three men who loomed over him. They were terrifying, their presence was nearly as overwhelmingly chilling and bloodthirsty as Kosuke's. Maybe they would be good additions to Kosuke's following. It might always distract Kosuke from damaging Sayuri too much.

"My apologies. Have a drink on the house." he said graciously. The three exchanged looks and sat down.

"Kenta…" a low voice sounded from the doorway. Kenta slowly looked up only to choke on his drink, Kosuke stood before all of them covered in blood and a large smile on his face. "Get me a large drink."

"Sure thing boss…" Kenta whispered moving out of his seat to go behind the bar. "Is Sayuri…" he trailed off.

Kosuke's smile twisted and widened making everyone in the room feel a blood chilling shiver run through their bodies- some more than others managed to hide it- The man clapped his blood stained hands together and laughed loudly. "Barely…that bitch is lucky I let her off with just a beating. Ami is tending to her wounds now. We can't have her dying on us. She's still of use." he chuckled, licking his lips as he sat down on one of the sofa's and Kenta brought his drink over for him. It was only then that Kosuke noticed the three rouges sitting and having a drink. "And just who the hell are those guys?" he demanded, his dark black eyes narrowing at them.


	4. Chapter 4

Sayuri rubbed her neck as she coughed, trying to get her breath back. Her body went rigid as she heard Kenta leaving and felt Kosuke tenderly stoking the side of her face. "Such a beautiful face, it'll be a shame to mark it…" he sighed out, brushing the hair from her eyes"…but you do have to be punished for trying to leave and telling that ninja where to find me." he said. In an instant he grabbed her by the roots of her hair and threw her across the room. Her back slammed against the wall causing her to yelp out in pain before she fell onto the dresser. The large vase of flowers fell off the surface and smashed onto the ground. Kosuke smirked as Sayuri's body fell onto the ground and broken vase with a thud.

"H-how did…you know?" she gritted out as she began to push herself onto her knees.

"Did you really think I'd put listening devices in just the guest rooms?" Kosuke asked, crouching down and grabbing her ankle before dragging her slowly through the broken shards of ceramic until she was next to him. Holding her to the ground with his hand tightly over her mouth, he pulled out his favourite blade that was hand crafted from overseas; curved blade and rather than have one tip it was slit in the middle, creating two blades on one hilt. Best of all it reacted to his chakra and only his.

Starting from Sayuri's ankle he slowly brought the blade up over her skin, making sure that it didn't cut her but that she could feel it. As soon as the blade made contact with her skin, her back arched and she screamed into his hand. That was the joy of his blade, he didn't need to cut or stab the person to make them feel pain. Kosuke laughed cruelly before he began to press the blade a little more into her skin once he'd cut the fabric of her skirt away from her leg. This caused her to scream more and arch her back further as blood began to run freely from the wound. Kosuke stopped when the blade reached her thigh and repeated the same actions on her other leg. Once he'd finished, he moved his hand away from her mouth and twirled the blade in his hand. He watched with a sadistic grin as Sayuri's chest rose and fell quickly and sharply, tears flowed furiously down her cheeks while a clear line of sweat formed along her hairline. Fear and pain made her body shake but that was all she could do. She wanted to try and fight, she wanted to get away from this man but she was paralysed and couldn't even bring herself to beg. That was how desperate she was to make the pain stop. She was willing to beg but her lips wouldn't cooperate and the words wouldn't come. There was still so much more pain to come, Sayuri knew that and prayed she'd either die or pass out soon. With one sharp kick to her side, Kosuke made her roll over onto her stomach and there he laughed harder. Blood had soaked through most of her shirt. The criminal boss moved closer and knelt down. His fingers curled around the largest shard of ceramic that was pressed into her shoulder blade, slowly he pushed it in a little further before ripping it out, Sayuri's body jolted and a pained cry shot free from her lips. Grinning, Kosuke continued to repeat this action until all of the shards were out of her back and arms. By the end of it Sayuri's breathing was laboured and shallow, her lower lip trembled and her eyes were closed tightly. Kosuke wiped his hands on his shirt and rolled Sayuri onto her back again. Without a moment's hesitation he clamped both of his hands together into a fist and slammed it down onto her stomach.

Sayuri gasped sharply, her upper body rising involuntarily off of the ground. The loud audible crack that filled the room let them body know that one or more of her ribs were broken. Blood trickled down the side of her mouth as she slumped back onto the floor unconscious, the pain and blood loss too much for her to take anymore. "Just when I was starting to have some fun…but to make sure you aren't faking it…" Kosuke sighed and stabbed her in the side with his blade before ripping it out and put it back into it's sheath on his belt. He began to peel her off of the floor and lifted her into his arms. The blood from her wounds began to seep into his clothes, staining them. He looked up with an angry glare as the door opened. Ami froze in the doorway, looking from the bloodied shards in the room, to Sayuri and finally to him. Kosuke smirked. "Good thing you're here Ami." he said before letting go of Sayuri, letting her fall awkwardly onto the floor again. "Treat her wounds and lock her in here, make sure no one gets in to her unless I say so." he ordered before passing the woman and heading down the stairs to the bar, in need of a good, strong drink.

Naruto's clone waited until the man was in the bar before he released his transformation jutsu and rushed to Sayuri's side. He bit his lip, suppressing his worry and angry. Slowly and carefully he lifted Sayuri into his arms and made his way to the window. One of the other clones he had outside leapt up onto the lower roof of the inn outside of Sayuri's bedroom window and opened it. Naruto passed Sayuri to his clone and watched it disappear with her, in search of medical help. The blonde fisted his hands and thought of Kosuke. That man was going to pay he vowed before he disappeared. The clone rushed through the forest that his team had taken to get to the village and came to a halt next to a kunai stuck in the ground. "Are you there?" he whispered, looking around the dark forest silently. A small noise made him turn to see a figure approaching them. Her jade green eyes looked from the blonde to the injured woman in his arms.

"Naruto who is this?" Sakura asked as Naruto set her down on the ground gently against the tree,

"The manager of the inn, can you heal her?" he asked. Sakura walked over and knelt next to the woman, her hands glowed green and she placed them on her body. The kunoichi bit her lip and kept her head down, focussing all of her attention on healing the woman. It was a good thing that Tsunade decided to send her and the others out after all…

_"There you guys are!" Sakura called, looking down from the rooftop of the bar. Her jade eyes looked at Kiba, Naruto and Kakashi curiously as they had begun to make handsigns. "Wait, where's Genma?" she asked with a frown._

_"I think the main question is what you are all doing here?" Kakashi asked looking up at Sakura, Neji, Shino and Tenten._

_"Tsunade-sama said that you'd all been gone for too long for this mission and sent us. It's a good thing you left Pakkun with her just in case." Tenten explained, only for the dog in question to poke his head over the edge of the roof to peer down at the masked ninja._

_"We had to go through all of the different villages to try and track Kosuke down. It's not our fault Granny Tsunade didn't give us a specific place to go to." Naruto said defiantly._

_"It's not the Hokage's fault that ANBU couldn't track Kosuke down and could only give us one area to search Naruto, but we should be thankful for her sending us reinforcements." Kakashi told his former student seriously before giving the group above them his usual eye crease smile. "Good to see you all, now we should think up a plan to find Genma and get him back safely…"_

_"What about Sayuri?" Kiba piped up. "We can't exactly leave her? Someone should at least check on her. I mean I'm sure Genma is perfectly fine. He's a ninja, Sayuri isn't, she can't take care of herself and needs us more." he said as the new arrivals dropped down to stand next to them._

_"We can do both, with more here we can split up, one group with go back to the inn the other will go in search of Genma." Naruto suggested before looking to Kakashi. The silver haired ninja sighed and nodded._

_"Neji, you go with TenTen, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino to search for Genma. Sakura, Naruto and myself will go to the inn -"_

_"What about Sasuke and Lee?" TenTen asked suddenly, looking around._

_"They came too? Isn't Hokage-sama going over the top with sending all of you?" Kiba asked with a raise of his eyebrows._

_"Well we were the initial group…but when Lee found out that Neji and I were going as well as Sakura, he insisted." TenTen explained._

_"And Sasuke didn't like the idea of Sakura going with Lee, although he'd never admit it." Neji added. "Anyway, I spotted chakra restrictors at the four points just outside this towns perimeter, they went to get rid of them so we will have all of our chakra if it comes to a fight." The Hyuga explained, Kakashi frowned, he hadn't noticed any change in his chakra levels since he arrived._

_"They'll find us some way or another. Neji once you and the others locate Genma, don't go to him. Instead go to the forest at the end of the town and wait by a part of the river edge." Kakashi ordered, Neji and the others nodded and disappeared, leaving Naruto and Sakura with him. "Sakura go to the forest that you had to travel through to get here and wait just in case you are needed to heal. Naruto create clones and disguise one as an inn worker. You can go to Sayuri's room and check on her. Make some clones patrol the area while the rest and myself disguise ourselves and go inside." he told them. The two nodded and set off for the inn…_

Sakura gritted her teeth as she poured her chakra into Sayuri. "Sakura-chan?" one of Naruto's clones left to protect her asked curiously.

"It'll be fine Naruto, I won't be able to fight if an enemy comes. This woman is in need of a lot of medical attention." she told him. After all this time she'd only managed to stop the serious wounds , including the stab wound to her side, from bleeding and healed the large head wound. It was shocking at how much damage she'd taken in one beating. She moved her hands over to Sayuri's chest and began on healing Sayuri's broken ribs until they were fractured or just cracked so they couldn't pose any threat to her organs. She needed to reserve some of her chakra in case Genma or the others needed healing. Sakura pulled out some medical supplies and looked to Naruto who was leaning against the tree, staring towards the in. The kunoichi slowly and carefully pulled off Sayuri's ripped and bloodied shirt before securely bandaging her chest and stomach to help her ribs heal and cover the wounds on her back from infection. The medic lets out a weary sigh and moves her hands away from Sayuri to take a small break. Her bright jade eyes looked down at the unconscious woman, her breath was broken and strained. She couldn't imagine the pain she was in even with all of the healing she'd already done. It made the medic thankful that she was unconscious as she was sure that if this woman was awake, she'd be screaming in agony. After tying her hair back tightly, she leant over Sayuri and began healing her again. Her hands moved to the closing stab wound in her side, making sure none of her internal organs were damaged too. After a few moments her eyes widened and she looked fearfully up at the inn in the distance, hoping that who or what attacked Sayuri wasn't still in there with Kakashi and Naruto.

Kosuke looked silently to Kenta. "Kenta, I won't ask again. Who are those men at the bar?" he repeated in a dangerously cool voice.

"To be honest, Boss…they just came in while you were…busy upstairs." Kenta said softly. "They seem tough and I thought they may be usable to you." he continued, keeping his voice low so the rouges wouldn't hear him. Kosuke silently drank his beer while observing the three heavily cloaked men who were drinking, not bothering to look at the others in the bar. "Which one is in charge?" he asked Kenta in a low voice.

"The one in front of the knife in the bar surface. They haven't said their names but their headbands are from the Hidden Mist." Kosuke listened to the young man while keeping his steely gaze on the rogues before he smirked and got to his feet. Slowly he walked over, ripped the blade from the bar surface and inspected it.

"A nice blade…" he mused before setting it down while the lead rogue let out a croaking chuckle.

"I bet it's not as nice as the one you've got though…" he mused, turning his bloodshot gaze onto Kosuke whose eyebrows raised at the statement. His blade was sheathed and out of view, how did the rouge know about it?

"And what makes you think I've got a blade?" He questioned, appearing calm.

"You'd be a stupid leader of a criminal group this big and not have some sort of weapon on you…" one of the other rogues stated in a growl that made the other two rogues laugh. Kosuke's eyes flashed angrily and before the rouges could blink, Kosuke's blood stained blade was less than an inch away from the leader's throat, silencing everyone in the room. The leader's eyes scanned the blade slowly and he chuckled harshly.

"Looks like I was right, that's a fine lookin' blade…a lot better than mine." he complimented in his grating, croaking voice. "That blood on your knife and on your shirt come from the same person?" he asked with undisguised curiosity. Kosuke grinned and let out a gentle laugh that was filled of sadistic bloodlust.

"Yeah, but this blade isn't a normal one, it's a lot more dangerous than most. I'll show you." he informed the rogues who had keen interest flashing in their eyes. They watched along with the others in the bar as Kosuke walked to the door frame and yelled out for Ami. When there was no answer he narrowed his eyes. "AMI! ANSWER ME YOU NO GOOD-" he stopped when the door opened and Ami stepped in. Her dark eyes landed on the man and she tilted her head curiously.

"What's wrong my dear Kosuke?" she asked politely.

"Why the hell aren't you upstairs with that bitch Sayuri? I told you to heal her wounds and stay with her." he snapped, his grip tightening around the hilt of his blade.

"I haven't been here since this afternoon. I was with that leaf ninja and took him back to the base. I've been there for the last four or five hours." Ami explained. Kosuke's eyes widened in rage before he flew up the stairs and kicked the door to Sayuri's room off its hinges only to find the messed room empty and the window wide open. Kosuke's breathing slowed and deepened as he tried to control his rising temper, his teeth gritted but unable to hold it back he let out a loud animalistic roar.

"WHERE…THE HELL… IS SHE?"

Downstairs, everyone tensed and swallowed back their fear and anxiety over what Kosuke would do, they wanted to leave so he wouldn't take any of his aggression out on them.

"ALL OF YOU GET OUT THERE AND BRING HER BACK ALONG WITH THE BASTARDS THAT ARE NEAR HER!" Kosuke's deadly command bellowed down fiercely. Without missing a beat all of the men got up and charged out the door; leaving Ami, the rogues and Kenta in the bar and left with Kosuke as he came down the stairs and into the bar. Kenta and Ami shook with fear as they sensed the aura around him…he wanted to spill blood and they prayed that he'd take it out on the rogues or on Sayuri when she was brought back along with those that helped her escape. The rogues however grinned away as they drank, unaffected by the man's overpowering presence.


	5. Chapter 5

"And what the fuck are you three grinning at?" Kosuke demanded angrily to the rogues who grinned wider, showing their pointed dirty teeth more to them, the sight making Ami grimace and look away. The rogues looked at one another before the final one spoke.

"Looks like someone in your group is a traitor…pretty pathetic that you couldn't tell that girl wasn't even here." he stated jerking his head in Ami's direction. "Unless of course it really was her…and she's lying. Either way you let someone take this Sayuri from right under your nose. Weak and shameful if you ask me." he grinned before letting out a roar of laughter along with his two comrades. It was now time for Kosuke to tense as two of the rouges were suddenly sitting on either side of the tall criminal boss while the leader stood next to Ami, his knife against her stomach while his free blood and dirt stained hand held the back of her neck. "Now lovey, you said there is a leaf ninja in your base…where is it?" he asked in a low voice. Ami swallowed and looked to Kosuke with unsure eyes. Kosuke looked at the two rogues on either side of him.

"Funny how none of you are targeting Kenta…" he mused.

"Not really, he don't have anythin' to offer us. You're the boss so you might have some fightin' talent. The little girl knows where your base is and were to find the other leaf ninja." one rouge informed him dryly.

"Why do you want to know where the leaf ninja is?"

"We have business with Leaf and one or two of their kind would be very beneficial for us. That's all you need to know " the leader answered before moving his face closer to the girl and pressing the blade against her stomach a little harder, enough to cause pain but not enough to draw blood.

"Business with the leaf?" Kosuke repeated, glancing at Kenta who was frozen in place. "Why don't you go after the others that left the town?"

"Because we aren't stupid. If they've left, they'll be back with their other friends once they make a plan. Plus we'd rather have one of their own as our hostage to make them hesitate." the leader growled.

"There's more of them?" Kenta asked, looking to the leader who nodded, Kenta looked back to Kosuke. "Maybe they took Sayuri." he suggested. Kosuke watched the man silently.

"Kenta, where is your father? I haven't seen him all day, that's very strange for him…maybe he worked with the ninja and is the one who has her?" he challenged before loud yells and screams of terror filled the area.

"What the hell?" the leader of the rogues growled, looking towards the door before back to Kosuke who looked just as confused.

"There really is no need to hold a knife to her. We can work together. You lend us your strength and we can divide the leaf ninja corpses between us." Kenta spoke up. "I mean we have a common target…all the Boss wants is them gone through whatever means and to have Sayuri back." he continued before looking to his Boss who smirked and nodded.

"He's right and I don't know if those screams were my men or the leaf ninja, but I'd like to find out…" Kosuke agreed. Satisfied, the leader nodded in agreement and released a shaking Ami.

"Very well, but try to double cross us and well…" the leader trailled off with an almost demonic chuckle. "It won't be just the leaf ninja corpses that could be halved, get what I'm sayin'?" he asked with a bloodthirsty grin. Kosuke nodded slowly, Hidden Mist ninja were always bad news especially ones this age; there was no doubt that they had all taken the gruesome graduation exam before it was stopped. Leaving Ami and Kenta behind, Kosuke and the rouges made their way out to the forest where the screams had come from. It wasn't long before they came across the scene. Some of the men that had been in the bar were slumped on the ground or draped over the branches in the trees. Not a scratch on them, a weapon in sight or any sign of blood. They were just unconscious.

"What caused this?" Kosuke asked with a frown.

"Genjutsu I'd say…" one of the rouges answered looking around cautiously in case some were acting or the person who'd done it was still around. A low groan came from a man just outside the group. Kosuke frowned and kicked the man sharply, adding a little bit of his chakra for an added boost; hoping that would be enough to knock him out of his unconscious state. Wincing the man pushed himself up to sit. Shakily he rubbed his head and blinked. His eyes widened and he looked around.

"B-BOSS?" he exclaimed, getting to his feet as fast as he could.

"What happened here?" Kosuke growled in frustration.

"I-I don't know. We caught sight of two ninja; that blond kid and the older silver haired one. We chased them and then…" he trailed off to look at the others scattered around the area. "it went dark. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground and I see you." he finished nervously. Kosuke frowned and looked around. Everyone was in a deep unconscious state…but this one seemed to have been less affected. Probably because of the chakra restrictors he had around the town, the genjutsu could only do so much and because he was further away he wasn't hit as hard by the others.

"Come on, get up. We can't waste time waking these weaklings up." Kosuke ordered before he looked to the rogues. "Sense any one around?" he asked, only gaining a shake of their heads as an answer. The rogues snapped their heads to the east of the forest and shot off, leaving Kosuke and the young man to follow them. They broke through the trees to stop a few yards away from Sakura, bent over and holding a dazed Naruto by the front of his shirt, looking as though she was about to kill him. Her jade eyes looked up to the smirking rogues. To anyone that knew Sakura, they would know to stay as far away from her as possible when she had that fierce, steely look in her eyes.

"She looks to be a lot of fun, huh?" one rogue asked looking to his leader who grinned wider.

"Seems like a feisty one…" the other commented with a lecherous chuckle.

"Now, now men. You can play with this one all you want…I just want to know where Sayuri is first. I like to limit the amount of females I hurt in one day." he said pulling out his blood stained blade, making Sakura glare.

"And who is this Sayuri?" the kunoichi asked casually, trying to hold back her anger as she released Naruto and straightened up.

"I know you know who she is…her blood is on your gloves after all…."Kosuke grinned, watching the young girl tense and fist her hands as though trying to hide the stains from his gaze. "So I'll ask one more time…where is she?" he asked taking a step forward, eyeing Sakura carefully. "You must be a medic ninja. You've already used a lot of chakra and Sayuri's blood on your hands, that's the only possibly explanation. The look in your eyes tells me I'm right, so as a medic…you should know of the damage that I did to Sayuri…namely her legs and side." he grinned when he saw the steely look falter in the blazing green orbs of the pink haired woman.

"I don't know… I healed her as much as I could and another team member took her to a safe location. They're probably half way to the next village by now." she answered him with a smug smirk. Kosuke rolled his neck from side to side and loosened his shoulders before slipping into a crouch. His cold, emotionless never left her face. With a wide grin, he pushed off the ground and shot at her. Sakura's eyes remained on his blade while he seemed to calm and relax his body. But the moment he pushed off the ground, she lost sight of him. Unsure from what side he'd attack from, she built chakra into her fist and slammed it down into the ground. Immediately the ground shattered, raised and cracked.

The unexpected strength of the girl and the attack itself, made Kosuke stumble and lose his footing, causing him to jump back to a safe and level ground. His gaze fell back to the pink haired woman and narrowed. His gaze fell back to the rogues who had gotten themselves into a fight with other leaf ninja. The one remaining member of his group was on the ground, knocked out and trapped by the broken pieces of earth. Snarling, Kosuke charged back at Sakura, this time not underestimating her.

"This isn't looking too good…" Lee fretted while leaning against the tree. Silently he looked at the group around him. Neji had his Byakugan activated, keeping an eye on Genma who they had found in Kosuke's hideout in the mountain next to the town. Shino hadn't said much since they left Konoha and kept his head down as he sat at the riverside. Tenten bit her lip nervously, unable to shake the image from her mind. Kakashi had burst through the trees carrying her limply in his arms. He had told Kiba to take her out of the town and to the next village where he was to wait for them. Kiba nodded, his eyes wide as he looked at Sayuri's bandaged body in his team leader's arms. The only sign of life was the slow, ragged rise and fall of her chest. Lightly draping the woman securely onto Akamaru's body, both he and the dog set off. Kakashi had told Sasuke to come with him before the two set off.

"Everything will be fine Lee. You and Sasuke destroyed the chakra restrictors so all of us have all of our chakra…not that it mattered for you anyway." Tenten spoke softly, deciding to reassure her team-mate while trying to push the image of the scarlet haired woman from her head…while she had been bandaged, there was something that unnerved Tenten. Slowly the brunette looked to Neji. "How is he…and are Kakashi-san and the others okay?" she asked. Neji let out a sigh.

"Genma's injured and exhausted…" he trailed off, allowing his almost all seeing gaze locate the others. "Kakashi-san, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are fighting. It looks like they are almost finished." he told them. And Sakura is perfectly fine Lee before you begin to yell out, the Hyuga added swiftly, silencing his usually loud team-mate who grew more enthusiastic and loud when it came to a certain pink haired kunoichi.

Her screaming had started when they came closer to the town. She was still unconscious but the strangled, agonised screams were unrelenting as he rushed to the nearest building. Thankfully he had burst into an inn with a kind-faced woman met him. "Oh my!" she gasped as the screams filled the building.

"Please can you give me a room?" Kiba asked. Quickly the woman nodded and hurriedly led him upstairs to the top floor, which had the biggest room in the building. Quickly Kiba lay Sayuri down on the bed and looked to the woman, his eyes pleading for help. The woman, looked her over and bit her lip and looked Sayuri's bandaged body over and slowly reached out to lay her hand on Sayuri's forehead. Quickly she whipped it away and looked to Kiba. "She has a fever…I'm sorry but I don't know what to do. There is a doctor just down the road. I'll go and get him." she said before rushing out as fast as she could. Kiba's panicked gaze shot from the door, to Sayuri and then to Akamaru who whined. How the hell did Sakura and the other medics act so calmly especially when a clearly injured woman was screaming her lungs out. He could see sweat forming along her hairline as she continued to scream. The dog ninja pulled off his jacket and rushed into the bathroom. Grabbing a hand towel from the rack her placed it under the tap and turned on the cold water. After ringing out the excess water and folding it, he sprinted to Sayuri's side to drape the cold, damp towel over her forehead. While it might have soothed the fever slightly, it didn't cease the pained screams and Kiba all but kissed the doctor and woman when they arrived.

Unfortunately this doctor wasn't a ninja and had no idea what was wrong with her. In his opinion with broken and cracked ribs she shouldn't have been able to scream like that. It pained him to hear such agony, the only thing he could do was inject her with some morphine. After a few moments, her screams lessened and it was reduced to whimpers and heavy, broken breathing. Silently, Kiba thanked the doctor and woman before sitting next to the bed and prayed for Sakura and the others to hurry because he felt helpless and couldn't do anything for Sayuri except sit with her and rewet the towel on her head, hoping that it helped in some way.

"You've done well to avoid getting touched by my knife, kids." Kosuke complimented Sakura and Sasuke, twirling his blade between his fingers. "But…unfortunately for Sayuri I don't think it's looking good." he chuckled.

"I healed her, that stab wound is closed and her life isn't in danger." Sakura growled at him, only to glare when Kosuke laughed loudly.

"Oh no little missy. Her life is in a lot of danger. The head wound, the wounds on her back, the broken ribs that's nothing compared to what this knife does. I don't even need to cut someone to cause them a slow and painful death. You see, separating Sayuri from Ami while she's been touched, cut and stabbed by my blade without proper healing has practically signed the poor girl's death certificate. And with the only little medic here and not with her…my guess is she'll be dead within a day." Kosuke explained with a long, loud and cruel laugh. He was serious. Fearfully, Sakura looked to Kakashi who was fighting with the leader of the Rogues. "Go, Sakura. Catch up to Kiba quickly. We'll take care of everything here." he ordered. Nodding, Sakura spun on her heal and sped off, hoping to catch up in time. Silently she cursed herself. What had she missed while she had healed Sayuri earlier?


	6. Chapter 6

"This is so unfair!" Lee whined sadly. "We didn't even get to fight one opponent…" he muttered as he carried an unconscious Genma on his back- since no one else wanted to.

"It's okay Lee. We are still in enemy territory so many rogues may still turn up." Tenten told the bowl cut ninja. She sighed, she was just as downhearted as Lee was that she didn't get to fight. The remaining two rogues, Kosuke and his followers had made their escape-including Ami and Kenta-, leaving Genma behind; probably because they didn't have time to take him or kill him or maybe as some sort of insurance. The townspeople seemed both angry and happy for the ninjas' presence and hand in getting rid of Kosuke, why they were angry, no one knew. One thing Kakashi did know was that they hadn't seen the last of Kosuke.

"Tenten…" Kakashi said, glancing back to the weapons user. "why did you go into the inn before we left?" he asked.

"W-well…I saw that woman's state of clothing, I didn't like the idea of her waking up and only having a nearly destroyed skirt and only bandages to cover her." she explained, lifting her bag that had seemed a little bigger. "I also got some food from that old man that green grocer." she added. Sasuke and Naruto glanced at Kakashi who only nodded at her answer and looked ahead as they finally reached the village. None of the others had heard Kosuke's claim that Sayuri was going to be dead soon. The sun was slowly beginning to rise as they entered the inn where both Sakura and Kiba's chakra stopped. They were hit with a heavy, atmosphere as they looked to the pale, worried woman leaning against the banister of the stairs. The moment her eyes landed on their headbands she looked up the staircase to see a drained Kiba slowly trudge down the stairs. Tiredly he rubbed his eyes and looked to the others.

"You look like hell…" Naruto said quietly.

"You should see Sakura…Sayuri looks worse than both of us combined." he answered tiredly.

"I thought Sakura healed her?" Neji asked with a frown, but Kiba shook his head.

"She thought that too…but I wasn't two miles out of that town with her when she began to scream in pain. I got her here and a doctor gave her morphine but it only stopped the screaming for a bit. Then she became sick. Thankfully Sakura came and started to work on her…" he said before looking away. "It's taking a lot out of both of them." he reported before looking to Kakashi. "Did you get the guy? Kosuke?" he asked. Kakashi sighed .

"Unfortunately not, he managed to escape. We'll get him though, you can be sure of that." he said before they headed up to the top floor. They froze in the doorway to see Sakura shaking as she pumped chakra into Sayuri who was now shaking, sweating and a deathly pale. The only colour on her face was the dried blood at the corners of her mouth.

"Sakura, you need to rest." Kakashi said gently, walking to the bed and to his former student. With concentrated, determined eyes she looked up to Kakashi.

"Not until she's safe…I can't let that…that bastard kill her. He's tortured her, you haven't seen the damage her body has taken and now that she's free from him…I can't." she said strongly, fighting through her exhaustion. She looked to Neji. "Look at her and tell me where I'm missing!" She pleaded. Swallowing, Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan, his eyes widened and he shot forward, pulling her away from Sayuri. "What are you doing?" she yelled, struggling against his hold on her wrists.

"It's your chakra that's hurting her more." he said gravely, making everyone look at him in shock. "He's used a nin-jutsu on her. You have to let his chakra leave her system and the jutsu to run its course before you attempt to heal her injuries. Adding your healing chakra gives the jutsu power and prolongs the effects." he explained. "But the jutsu won't kill her."

"Kosuke tricked you…"Kakashi said, thinking back. "He didn't try to stop you when you went to track Kiba and Sayuri down. He took advantage of your abilities, knowing you'd end up unintentionally hurting her more." he said.

"He was continuing his punishment." Naruto said, he had been in the inn when Sayuri was being attacked.

"So her screaming and being sick was the jutsu beginning to run its course?" Kiba asked tiredly.

"Seems so…" Neji answered, releasing Sakura. "You should rest. Genma's life isn't in any danger." he said. Slowly Sakura nodded and sank down onto the sofa next to the window. Lee walked over to the bed and lay Genma down next to Sayuri. With a chance to rest, Kiba sat down on the floor next to Akamaru and used his dog's head as a pillow, soon falling asleep. Kakashi looked at the group and then to the two on the bed, his dark eye scanning over Sayuri's rapidly rising and falling chest that was tightly bound with the bandages. A small sighed came from the ninja next to her. Kakashi arched his eyebrow as his friend seemed to be able to tell he was near a woman. He rolled onto his side and sighed, the small traces of a smile on his lips. The copy ninja looked to see Tenten walk towards the bed with a freshly dampened towel and changed it for the one on Sayuri's forehead.

"Before we left, that grocer was telling me…" Tenten began softly, "…that she would always stand up to that Kosuke guy, even if he was going to hurt or kill one of his own men. She didn't care about him beating her. Sometimes when he 'punished' her, the old man could hear her screaming from the inn. But the next day when he'd go to see her, she was strong, she never cried in front of him and if she could, she would force herself to smile. " she told those that were still awake. "Kakashi-san…did our going to that village and letting him escape mean that we made things worse? He could be in another village now, hurting more people. Will he come after her?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the inn manager to look at the masked man who gave her his trademark eye crease.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that man and his followers get what's coming to them." he reassured her. Sasuke who had been sitting next to a now sleeping Sakura on the sofa glanced at the team leader. "Maybe we should use that blade of his on him…he seemed very fond of it." he suggested gaining a loud laugh from Naruto who was sitting next to Kiba.

"Yeah, let him know how it feels for a change."

"W-w-w…won't…work…" a broken, pained voice came from Sayuri, her eyes were wrenched closed tightly from the pain, her breathing was laboured and broken. She was definitely conscious, but for how long, Kakashi and the others couldn't say. "j-j-jutsu…from the…blade…won't affect him." she panted out.

"Miss, you shouldn't strain yourself. It's obvious you're in pain. Please just try to rest…" Tenten told her with concern.

"I've ha-had worse done…to me. I ca-can't feel anything fr-fr-from the waist…down. An effect of the jutsu…" she gasped, her ribs and chest on the other hand, she could definitely feel.

"What do you mean?" Shino asked curiously, speaking finally.

"His chakra…it…damages y-your muscles and ne-nerves depending…on how…deep th-the blade…touches…y-y-you…." she strained, swallowing against the pain. "My nerves…are damaged…I can't f-feel a thing…" she explained before passing out.

"Kakashi-san…do you think my bugs would be able to eat the enemy's chakra from her system? That way after Sakura rests, this woman could be healed without having to go through the pain of the jutsu passing through her system?" he asked.

"It could work…" Neji spoke up. "Since she doesn't have any chakra, the bugs wouldn't necessarily be draining her of her own energy. They'd only be able to focus on the enemy's chakra in her body."

"Try it…we've got nothing else to lose." Kakashi said, watching as the beetles slowly began to come from Shino's sleeves and the top of his jacket and head towards Sayuri. The tiny black creatures began to crawl onto her body and stopped. Neji watched with his Byakugan as the destructive chakra began to slowly flow out of the inn manager's still shaking body. Slowly the shaking began to stop and her breathing became softer but with her injured ribs it was still strained and slightly broken in rhythm. The beetles moved from her and back to their master. "Excellent job Shino!" Lee exclaimed loudly, causing Kiba, Sakura, Akamaru and Genma to wake up.

"W-what's going on?" Genma groaned out tiredly. His dark brown eyes looked over to see Sayuri next to him. "Whoever put my next to her…thank you very much." he grinned, gaining an eye roll from nearly all of those there, but they knew it was a sign that Genma was going to be just fine so decided to let him away with the comment.

After some of the fruit from the grocer that Tenten had brought along, Sakura began to start working on Sayuri, now that Neji had said it was safe enough to heal her. Slowly, Sakura removed the bandages from her legs only to gasp in horror. Her pale legs were covered in red marks that resembled forked lightning. "That Kosuke guy seems to be one real bastard." Genma muttered, unable to stop himself from admiring the woman's shapely long legs and beautiful thighs. Thankfully after Sakura's healing jutsu, the marks began to fade to a dull pink against her lily white skin. The ribs had to be re-healed again but she left some of them cracked to heal on their own. The stab wound had to be completely healed and like her legs, her waist had the lightning like marks around it. After finishing, she looked to Genma who smiled softly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." he told her before shifting on the bed, he was more exhausted than anything else and felt that a long sleep would fix him. Kakashi looked to Sayuri who now had some colour back on her naturally pale face. "Tenten could you put some of Sayuri's clothes out? I don't think she'll want to wear bandages and the few remains of a skirt…especially around people she hardly knows." he said. With a nod, Tenten opened her bag and began to look through for clothes that would be suitable for the season and that would be comfortable for Sayuri to wear especially since she was still slightly injured.

"Are we going to take her to Konoha?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I think it's our best option, Kosuke might track her down and we don't know any areas around here that will be safe for her."

"Plus she would be a good source of information on Kosuke, if she's willing to give it to us." Sasuke added as Sakura settled back into the sofa, next to the raven haired Uchiha in need of a long rest. Kakashi noticed the smug look on Sasuke's face as he looked over to an angry looking Rock Lee. A knock at the door made Sayuri stir but remained asleep as the old woman entered with another inn worker, both carrying large trays of food. The woman looked to Sayuri and smiled to see that she looked better. After a long and enjoyable meal, the ninja lounged in the room and rested, waiting for Genma, Sayuri, Sakura and Kiba to get the rest they needed before even thought about setting out for Konoha.

In the middle of the night, Kakashi slowly peaked his eye open from his place in the corner of the room to see her female figure slowly and unsteadily get off the bed. In the darkness of the room, she felt around and moved to the bathroom, feeling her way to the door, stepping over the sleeping ninja as she went. Silently he sighed and shifted his weight to get comfortable again, after a few moments the bathroom door opened again and Sayuri walked back towards the bed, wearing now a medium length skirt and light, flowing shirt that would cover her but wouldn't be too tight or irritating against the bandages. His dark eye followed her as she slowly and shakily moved back to the bed and settled down again for the night. "Good night," he heard her soft tired voice travel towards him. Without answering he closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly. The next morning, Kiba was the first one to wake, or so he thought. After looking around he saw that both Akamaru and Sayuri were gone. Pulling his jacket and sandals on he threw open the door and rushed down the stairs to see the former inn manager sitting in the lobby armchairs with the inn owner, Chie, Akamaru sitting next to Sayuri with his chin lightly on her lap. "How are you feeling?" he asked, about to sit down in the spare chair when Sayuri reached out and held his forearm.

"I'm wonderful thanks to all of you…but mostly to you and the medic." she said, rising to her feet and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for taking care of me before the others came. I really appreciate it." she said before lightly kissing his cheek.

"Does everyone that helped you get one of those?" a voice asked from the stairs, making Kiba blush harder.

"Can't you ever behave, Genma?" Sakura asked in annoyance as the others filed down stairs, bags packed and ready to leave.

"Nope, where would the fun in that be?" he asked with a grin, a new senbon in his mouth. Sakura rolled her eyes and looked to Sayuri with concern.

"Someone should carry her back to Konoha…" she said, flinching when Sayuri repeated the word 'her' in slight irritation. "Your legs aren't fully healed…it would be best for you to rest as all…plus you are a civilian and won't be able to go the same pace as all of us." she explained quickly, earning a smile from the scarlet haired woman.

"And who asked me what I wanted? Who asked me if I wanted to go back with you to your village?" she questioned, sounding hurt.

"Sayuri…we aren't forcing you. We all feel it would be safer to take you back with us. Where you can be protected from Kosuke." Kiba said, trying to explain.

"And if I happened to give some information in return for protection, that would be just wonderful too, right? Look don't take me as being ungrateful but immediately deciding what's going to happen to me without even talking to me makes me feel like a captive all over again." she sighed out before turning her head towards Sakura. "Fine, you want me to be carried, then carry me…" she resigned, the irritation never leaving her voice. Kiba looked to Akamaru who walked to his side before he lifted Sayuri and placed her onto the large dog. Silently, Sayuri brushed the hair from her face. "Thank you."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well let's get going." he said and bowed to Chie and walked with her to the desk to pay for the food and room. For the first fifteen minutes of the journey back to Konoha was completely silent. All of them seemed to feel in some way guilty about not talking to Sayuri about whether she wanted to go with them or not. Even though they had decided with her best interests in mind, it still seemed wrong. Kiba pushed off the branches to travel along Sakura, silently he whispered something to her making her eyes widen and body tense, she looked to the dog ninja who nodded and fell back to travel next to Akamaru. Biting her lip, Sakura quickly looked ahead continued. Catching the brief and private exchange, Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously while Kakashi, Genma and Lee watched curiously. Sayuri let out a sigh, she was getting restless from the lack of movement. She didn't like the idea of being the only one being carried, her legs weren't even that sore anymore. Sensing the restlessness, Genma stepped forward and lifted Sayuri off of Akamaru and dropped down to the forest floor.

"Hey, womaniser! What do you think you're doing?" Naruto called.

"I'm injured too remember, my joints are a bit stiff. I think I'll walk a bit with this young woman, if she wants to that is." he grinned, seeing Sayuri smile and nod. Sakura bit her lip and said nothing.

"We'll be stopping for a break soon to get something to eat. So we'll see you up ahead." Kakashi told the senbon chewing ninja who merely saluted.

"Thank you, Genma." Sayuri smiled as she walked making the man frown, he hadn't remembered giving her his name. Shrugging, he smirked and walked next to her.

"No problem Sayuri…so did you always live in that town?" he asked wanting to know a little bit more about her.

"No, I came across it ten years ago and wasn't allowed to leave." she said softly, looking straight ahead.

"How did you come across it? And where had you been before that?" he asked, wondering how she ended up there.

"Before that I spent two to three years wandering about…" she trailed off and sighed, deciding to answer the question that the ninja was sure to ask. "But before that I was in my own village with my family and friends." she said with a small voice.

"So what made you leave your village and just 'wander about' you sound like you miss your family?"

"Rogues…they attacked my village when I was thirteen and got knocked unconscious by something, or someone. When I woke up I was in a different country, I had no idea where I was…if my village was still in one piece, if my family was alive and who ever had taken me from my village was gone."

"But surely if you knew what country you were in and what country your village was in, you would have been able to find your way back or get some sort of information…" Genma said softly.

"It wasn't that simple…you see…" she stopped and swallowed, lowering her head and biting her lip. "…when…when I came to…everything was different."

"Different how?" Genma asked, turning to face her.

"It seems that when I was hit during the attack and taken from my home…something else was taken from me." she explained, lifting her head towards Genma. It was then when a beam of light broke through the trees and hit her face that Genma saw it just as she said those words. "My sight was taken from me…"


	7. Chapter 7

"Blind?" Genma asked in a stunned voice. He could see clearly that her eyes didn't react when the sunlight hit them. He could see from that that she was blind, but for some reason the information just wouldn't sink in. He couldn't believe it. This whole time he and the others hadn't noticed. When he watched her in the inn, she moved flawlessly, she hadn't dropped anything, needed help, she didn't even walk into things. Truth be told, had she not told him, he doubted he ever would have picked up on it.

"HEY GENMA! STOP YOUR FLIRTING WITH SAYURI AND HURRY UP!" Naruto's boisterous yell tore through the forest. Sayuri laughed softly and tilted her head at him with a wide grin.

"Yeah Genma, stop flirting with me." she smirked before walking on. Genma blinked at her and slowly smirked before he followed her. "Oh and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the others…If they find out and treat me the way your medic, Sakura I will scream." she added.

"So she didn't want you to walk because of that and not because of your legs?" he asked watching her nod as he fell into step next to her.

"But if she wants me to be carried, then I'll be carried…" she said with a sly smile.

By the time they reached the others, they were already ready to set off again. Smiling, Sayuri walked next to Sakura. "Am I still to be carried?" she asked calmly. Sakura nodded but then stopped herself, knowing she couldn't see her so spoke. "Yeah, I think it would be best." Without another word, Sayuri nodded and walked over to stand next to a certain raven-haired male.

"Will you carry me?" she asked innocently, her hands held to her chest to avoid hurting her ribs. Her tone was soft however it held a certain charm and seductive hint to it. Any request in that voice was sure to crack even the strongest of male wills. It clearly had an affect on the usually stoic Uchiha who although was used to girls his age and younger swooning over him and was able to ignore them without so much as a blink. A woman like Sayuri however who didn't swoon and was older than him made him clear his throat, glance away from Sayuri's blank, innocent expression that had the hint of a sultry smile curving her lips and then back to her again before answering. "I suppose so…" he said slightly unsure of himself. Genma watched the woman with a gleeful grin. He only wished that she'd asked him especially in that voice. His gaze looked to Sakura whose jaw dropped, eyes widened and began to look more and more furious.

"I don't think it's necessary." she blurted out as Sayuri was about to climb up onto Sasuke's back. Sasuke looked to Sakura and Sayuri climbed on regardless, brushing scarlet locks from her face before lightly turning her head to the medic.

"But why not? You did say it was best for me to be carried and well…you do know best." she smiled, fixing her legs lightly on either side of Sasuke's hips making the Uchiha hold her carefully and securely hold her bandaged thighs. "Besides, after that walk my legs are starting to feel a little sore." Sayuri continued, her tone was sweet and polite as she spoke to Sakura. Genma grinned at Sayuri. She was a cunning one, although how she knew to target Sasuke, he didn't know. It was clear to him that this woman could look after herself just fine.

"Is there a reason Sasuke shouldn't carry her, Sakura?" Genma asked curiously with a wicked smile.

"I mean it's not like I'm all that heavy…" Sayuri added, letting her hands touch Sasuke's forearms lightly. "…and he's clearly strong and capable enough to carry me." Sakura glared at Genma for his interference and clenched her jaw.

"Fine, let's just get going…" she grumbled, storming passed Sasuke to stand next to Rock Lee. Genma chuckled and glanced to Kiba who was trying not to laugh. Genma observed the young Inuzuka and wondered if he knew about Sayuri. He didn't have a lot of time to think on the subject as they all leapt up to the trees and continued on their way towards Konoha. Sakura's foul mood could be felt by everyone but a former inn manager smiled happily to herself. She always loved getting back at people who immediately thought her vulnerable and helpless when they learned that she was blind.

"So Sayuri…is your tattoo meant to mean or represent anything?" Sakura suddenly asked, glancing back to see Sayuri smile.

"That's a tad personal and shouldn't really be any of your concern." she answered. "I mean it's a bit like me asking what your sex life is like. It would be highly unnecessary for me to ask for a number of reasons. One; I hardly know you. Two; I'd never really need to know or use that bit of information for anything. Three; it pertains to your private life that I have no right to know about unless of course you trusted me enough to tell me. Four; it can be an embarrassing question to be asked in front of a lot of people. I mean you could still have a public image of the good little virgin girl and yet only one or two people apart from yourself would know that that public image is wrong." Sayuri said sweetly, taking great delight in the fact that the man she was being carried by had gotten tenser as she furthered her explanation, momentarily losing his footing as he pushed off the branches when the topic of Sakura's sex life came up. She also took further enjoyment in the gasp and tension radiating off of the medic. Brightly she smiled. "You should look ahead, you might knock into something. But to answer your question; yes it does mean something and if anyone is wondering, it's a black panther on my lower back."

Sakura snapped her head forward, silently fuming, she looked to Kakashi who was staring ahead. She was annoyed that he hadn't said or done anything. But the woman's statement had shocked everyone into silence, some looking at Sakura with wide eyes. However at the back of the group Kiba, Genma and even Naruto were grinning widely. Sayuri held a satisfied smile on her face as she enjoyed being carried to Konoha. At the front of the group, the masked ninja was silent for a number of reasons. Since that day at the river he had his suspicions that she was a ninja because of the glare from what he realised could have come from a headband. She had no doubt been annoyed at Sakura since the inn and after seeing her subtly propositioning Sasuke out of all the possible people to be carried by and now managing to cut Sakura with just words and logic it was clear she wanted to get her back. But knowing these things was odd. He doubted Genma would have told her anything. But then again…while the two were walking he could have told Sayuri to go to Sasuke to make Sakura jealous. But questioning Sakura's virgin status? Not even a sex and woman loving man like Genma could tell who was a virgin from just one look. It seemed he was going to have to try and test Sayuri in some way and hopefully before they got to Konoha. After a few hours of travelling, they all stopped for a rest, thankfully they had reached the Fire Country Border so there was less chance of rouge attacks. On their way back there had been a few rogues and criminals attacking them but with Neji's Byakugan and Kiba and Akamaru's stronger sense of smell they were able to send a few of the group to deal with them before things got out of control. Sayuri leaned against a large oak tree while the others sat down.

"I want to check your legs." Sakura said in a low voice, appearing next to her.

"If this is about the boy that carried me and what I had said, I'm not going to talk it back." Sayuri responded in just as low a voice.

"What have you got against me?" Sakura asked in annoyance.

"Nothing. I just don't like someone finding out that I can't see and immediately thinks me to be someone who can't walk on her own and travel with ninja and not need to be carried." she said. "You haven't told anyone have you?" she asked suddenly.

"No…Kiba knows because he was there when I treated you though."

"I know he knows, and he hasn't treated me differently. I would like for you to ignore that I'm blind. I have been able to take care of my self for the past thirteen years." she said with a smile. "Oh and the boy that carried me got very jealous when I implied that you weren't pure." she grinned, hearing Sakura gasp.

"Really?"

"Mhmm, I bet he's still a little annoyed. He might be a little sore from carrying me for so long. A great medic like you should go and see if he needs assistance." she grinned. Sakura laughed and decided to take the woman's advise.

"You don't hold a grudge for very long…" Genma mused, dropping down from the tree to stand next to her.

"She wasn't intentionally trying to offend me. I got her back for it and now it's settled." she shrugged. "How much longer before we are in this Konoha place anyway?"

"A couple of hours -" Genma began before Naruto landed onto Genma's back.

"Hey, Sayuri can I carry you back?" he asked with a grin. "Bushy brows and I want to race while carrying someone. He's going to carry Tenten on his back. What do you say?" he asked with a huge excited smile.

"Sounds fun. When do we start?" she asked only to let out a startled yelp when she was suddenly thrown into the air and landed on Naruto's back.

"CHARGE! LET'S GO BUSHY BROWS!" The blonde yelled out before taking off, sending a large plume of dust in his wake.

"Naruto! Take Sayuri to the Hokage tower as soon as you arrive!" Kakashi called after the blonde ninja while Lee snatched Tenten and fixed her onto his back before charging off after Naruto.

"Why take her to the Hokage Tower, Kakashi?" Genma asked curiously.

"She'll need to be introduced to Tsunade-sama sooner or later. Plus if she's staying in the village she needs to go through the Hokage."

The sun was beginning to go down when the rest arrived in Konoha. Kakashi chuckled to see Izumo and Kotetsu still trying to brush all of the dust and dirt from their guard post.

"So who won?" the masked ninja asked with a grin.

"It was close but I think Naruto just beat Lee…by the way, who was that young woman on Naruto's back?" Kotetsu asked with a smirk.

"Her name is Sayuri , she was some sort of captive of Kosuke's so we brought her back for safety." Genma answered before looking at Kakashi. "We should all head to the Hokage's office to report our arrival."

After a wave and nod goodbye to Izumo and Kotetsu, they all set off for the Hokage's building. Upon their arrival they found that Sayuri was no longer there. Naruto, Lee and Tenten were in front of Tsunade looking slightly shocked and confused.

"Where's Sayuri?" Genma asked looking around.

"With ANBU. She's giving them all of the information she has on Kosuke. After that she'll be assigned to a Jounin to live with. "

"She isn't getting a place of her own?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"For protection, since Kosuke is still out there and might come after her. That and I think she needs to have someone to look after her because of her situation." Tsunade explained. Genma looked at Sakura and Kiba which Tsunade noticed. "You know?"

"Know what?" Kakashi asked glancing at Genma.

"Sayuri's blind and having her in a village that she doesn't know and placing her in an apartment she isn't used to might be hard. She didn't seem happy about it but asked that when she's used to the village and layouts of the apartments if she could live on her own."

"She's blind?" Neji repeated with a frown. "She didn't act like it…"

"I didn't notice either…Genma how did you know?" Kakashi asked. Genma slowly chewed on his senbon before sighing.

"She told me…and didn't want anyone else to know."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"It's why she was annoyed with me, because I insisted on her being carried. She doesn't like people seeing her as weak and unable to look after herself just because she doesn't have her sense of sight…" Sakura explained. Kakashi frowned and looked to Tsunade.

"Which jounin will she be placed with?" he asked casting a glance to a grinning Genma and back to the blonde behind the desk.

"Not sure yet…I was thinking of a female but most are out on a mission so I can't ask them. The rest are either married or already living with someone. " she sighed sitting back, fixing her gaze on both Kakashi and Genma. "Would either of you be interested? I mean you did rescue her and she knows you more than the other ninja in this town, so some level of trust must already be established." she said logically. Plus having either of them do it would save her the time of gathering all jounin here.

"I'll do it." Kakashi spoke up, after receiving many curious gazes he sighed. "Genma as we all know is too promiscuous and almost always brings a woman back to his place every night. It would make her uncomfortable…not to mention who knows what she might catch from just staying in his home." he explained, lightly joking. Tsunade slowly nodded.

"Very well. Tenten has offered to go out with her to get some clothes and other things she'll need. I'll have her leave Sayuri to yours later on." she told Kakashi before evenly meeting the gazes of the others. "The matter of tracking Kosuke and his men down will be by ANBU. The information that Sayuri gives to them will no doubt be very useful. For now you are all dismissed. " she said and watched the ninja leave one by one. Once they had all left and the door was shut behind her she rubbed her temples.

"And what of Sayuri's other request Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked softly, biting her lip as Tsunade opened her top drawer and looked at the pristine headband silently, not recognising the symbol. "Are you going to consider that too?"

"I don't know Shizune. For now…we'll just have to see what happens." the Hokage answered before shutting the drawer and reluctantly resuming her work.


	8. Chapter 8

"So let me get this straight!" Yamato slurred next to Naruto, giving Kakashi a drunken glare. It was a known fact that the wood-user got very talkative and sometimes over emotional when drunk. Something that most of those at the bar table were used to. "You…Hakashi Katake! Got assigned, a woman…" he began only stopping to make an hour glass shape with his hands to symbolise a woman's curves. "to live with…and then ANKO of all people, snatches her away before she even arrives?" he demanded, throwing his fists down onto the table sharply.

"Yes, Anko is a woman and her apartment is bigger than mine. Sayuri will be a lot more comfortable there."

"True…but this is Anko we're talking about…" Genma spoke up, trying not to laugh as Yamato had now draped his arm around Naruto's shoulders and was muttering 'it's ridiculous…' or at least trying to over and over.

"And what pray tell is so wrong with living with me?" a sharp but still feminine voice sounded from behind them. They all looked to see the mesh-clad ninja grinning at them with Sayuri standing next to her, also grinning.

"Well…he-" Yamato grinned, stopping to hiccup "-llo there."

"Hello…" Sayuri greeted back with a smile as she sat down gracefully next to Kakashi making him and the others who knew about her being blind even more confused. She hadn't checked to see if someone was already sitting there. There had been an open space in the booth that was closer to her but was actually taken by Iruka who had gone to get another drink. It was this grace that made it seem impossible that she was blind.

"Hey, so Sayuri…um…I.." Naruto began nervously and bit his lip, tact had never been one of his strong points and he didn't want to offend the woman. Who let out a laugh.

"It's fine Naruto. If you have questions, just ask them. Curiosity isn't offensive." she told him warmly.

"Oh!" Naruto's blue eyes lit up. "So can you dream? Like do you see stuff? Or is it all black when you are awake and sleeping?"

"Yes I dream. I wasn't born blind and lost my sight when I was thirteen so I can still see things when I dream. Mainly memories, people's faces but most of the time my dreams are just colours." Sayuri told him. "And right now everything is just black."

"Oh…then how can you move about so easily? I mean you had everyone fooled." Naruto said as Iruka sat down next to Anko who had taken his place while he was gone. The Academy teacher blinked when he spotted the new face to the group.

"Practice I guess. My other senses are heightened so I can sense nearly everything that's around me." she shrugged. Frowning, Naruto didn't really believe that she could tell everything that was going on around her. With a grin he pulled an outrageous face at the woman who had her head turned away from them.

"Your face might stick like that…" she mused softly with a smile. Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at her statement and Naruto's startled expression at being caught. Since he found out she was blind, his suspicions of her being a ninja had gone. Perhaps it had been something else metallic across the river that had shone into his eyes instead, he reasoned. Genma looked over at Sayuri and smiled. "So how's Konoha so far?"

"Warm, open and the people I've met seem very nice." she said happily, cocking her head slightly t the side as Kakashi set his glass down. "There's something that I've been meaning to as you Kakashi…why do you wear a mask?"

"You can tell that too?" Naruto asked, pushing an now lightly snoring Yamato off of his shoulder.

"Yes, it makes his voice muffled and I can hear the mask being moved when he takes a drink. I take it none of you have seen his face because of the speed he drinks and eats at?" she guessed, earning an impressed gaze from Anko, Iruka and Genma. Naruto and Kakashi just stared at the woman silently. Sayuri got to her feet, making Anko frown. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To get a drink. Do you want one?" Sayuri answered. Naruto climbed over Yamato, Iruka and Anko.

"I'll come with you, I wanna get another drink and ask you some more questions." he grinned.

"Just get me a bottle of sake, thanks." Anko told the red head casually, watching as the two headed to the bar.

"Shouldn't you have gone instead Anko?" Genma asked with a small frown, taking a sip of his own drink.

"Why? She can walk and talk on her own. Besides she's a grown woman who doesn't need me to hold her hand. Plus she offered to get me a drink. If she had asked me to get her a drink I would have." the woman answered, rolling her eyes at the stare she was getting from the men at the table. "Men." she muttered, looking over to the bar to see Sayuri sitting on one of the barstools and talking to a male chunin who was standing next to her. This wasn't good, that man had a worse reputation as a womaniser than Genma. "That idiot." Anko hissed, seeing that Hinata had entered sometime while the two were at the bar and unintentionally caught the blonde's attention and they were now talking happily to each other. Genma narrowed his eyes as Sayuri talked to the chunin. Cocky, arrogant son of a bitch was no doubt flirting with her, not that he blamed him. Sayuri was young, beautiful and probably more importantly to the man currently flirting with her; she was someone new and had no idea of his reputation. Genma was all for having fun with women, but this chunin didn't exactly treat any woman he was with well. That was the difference between the two men. The ninja at the booth were tense as Sayuri continued to smile and talk to the man. It was looking bad as Sayuri laughed along with the chunin. The bartender approached Sayuri with a tray of drinks who leapt off of the stool, kneeing the chunin in the crotch seemingly by accident and turned to lift the tray, her elbow connecting with the now kneeling chunin's face. Smiling Sayuri carried the tray back to the booth and sat down. "Kenji! Dude, why are you on the floor?" on of the chunin's friends asked in shock.

"It sounded like most of your drinks were almost done so I get some more." Sayuri said, passing a bottle of sake to Anko and lifter her own bottle of beer to her lips.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Anko asked, taking the sake.

"Did I get the wrong drink?" Sayuri asked with concern.

"No, it's not that…you…you just beat Kenji in two moves in less than thirty seconds flat." Iruka explained. Sayuri frowned.

"I did what to who?"

"Kenji…the guy you were talking and laughing with…"

"Oh, I didn't know pigs had names. But then again I didn't know they could stand on their hind legs and talk but…" she trailed off with a carefree shrug. "But anyway, what happened to him?" she asked innocently.

"He's on the ground now, after you attacked his manhood and face." Genma said, watching Sayuri bite her lower lip, while grinning.

"I'm afraid a little woman like me couldn't possibly take a big bad chunin down so easily and if I did it was all purely accidental." she said with a smile before sitting back and taking another drink.

"Do you see why I didn't go with her to the bar? She can take care of herself. " Anko grinned as Naruto and Hinata came over to join them. Through out the evening the others spotted Kenji glaring furiously at Sayuri who either didn't care or pretended not to know, either way she seemed completely at ease. Already a dark bruise had formed on the side of Kenji's cheek which did look painful. However the man didn't seem to be getting a lot of sympathy from people, only his friends who were like Kenji in most ways.

After another couple of hours, Sayuri rose to her feet, swaying a little and smiled. "I'm going to start heading to your apartment, Anko." she told the female ninja who grinned.

"It's OUR apartment now! And you should stay for a while longer." she insisted with a slur, practically sitting on top of an equally drunk Iruka. "I may not be back tonight!" she added with a laugh as Sayuri smiled and headed out of the bar and out onto the cold night street. "Okay…let's see..." Sayuri said to herself, turning and walking in the direction of Anko's apartment. Getting used to the layout of the village was going to take some time. After a while she stopped and grinned. She had had a lot to drink but not enough to make her incoherent. "Am I go-going the right way Genma?" she slurred slightly, with a drunken giggle, only to be met with a chuckle. "Yep." With a smile, Sayuri lifted her hand into the air and made a thumbs up gesture before walking on, falling against a wooden fence as she turned a corner. Sayuri soon made it to the apartment building, happy that Genma only said yes or no when she asked if she was going the right way. He didn't tell her or even drop down from his place in the trees or building roofs as he went the same way as her. Now the problem was getting up the stairs. She was drunk and could easily fall. Grinning away she grabbed the railing of the staircase and began to walk up them. She did stumble occasionally but thanks to her firm grip on the railing she managed to make it up okay. "Genma, c'mere!" Sayuri grinned as she unlocked the door to the apartment. She immediately sensed the ninja behind him and turned. Slowly she lifted her hand to his face, her fingertips lightly skimmed his cheeks and bridge of his nose before they rested gently on his lips. With a sway and warm smile she removed the senbon from his mouth while she leaned up and kissed him. After a moment she pulled away, her cheeks had been dusted with a light pink where now closer to red as she stepped back and placed the senbon into his hand. "Thank you." she said softly before stepping into the apartment. "Good night." Sayuri said before she closed and locked the door behind her; leaving a wide eyed and now sober Genma in the hallway.

Before Sayuri knew it was had been living in Konoha for almost three weeks. She was finally happy, mainly because she was free and in a place with no Kosuke around. The Yamanaka family had given her a job at the florist which she was grateful for. You didn't need sight to create a good flower arrangement. Most of it was how it smelt that appealed to people. The morning after she had kissed Genma, the ninja in question along with a few others were sent out on another mission. As she worked in the florist, she lightly sang to herself as she arranged some of the flowers on the counter. Inoichi walked into the shop and smiled at the scarlet haired woman as she worked. At first he had been a little apprehensive when his wife told him a blind girl would be working in the shop but now he could see she was good at her work.

"Yamanaka-san…" she said, placing one more flower into the vase. Her voice made him jump. It was scary how she could tell who was in the room even if they had entered silently. "Which is the red ribbon?" she asked her hand on the row of individual ribbon holders. The blond male looked to the vase of her arranged flowers and frowned. There was already a blue ribbon on the counter next to it. Deciding not to openly question her he looked to the row of ribbon dispensers. "Three up from you." he said. Sayuri's finger tips lightly felt the silk and its holder before stopping at the red ribbon. After cutting the amount she needed she returned to the counter. Interested, Inoichi watched as Sayuri twisted the two ribbons together before tying it around the vase. The two colours made the array of whites, lavenders, pinks and purples of the arrangement stand out a lot more. "Who is the order for?" Inoichi asked curiously.

"Ino only gave me the last name for the order, I think it was for someone called Nara…"

"That'll be what I need to collect then…" a bored voice came from the doorway. Inoichi looked around to see Shikamaru yawn and walk towards the counter. "This is such a drag…"

"If it's such a drag why did you make the order?" Sayuri asked with a frown, Inoichi looked to a now tense Shikamaru who scratched the back of his head.

"I made it for my dad because he told me to. Rather than get nagged at for hours I did it…" he explained watching the red head lean over the counter, her hand tucked under her chin while a large grin lit her face.

"It's not becoming of a young man to lie." she said with a soft laugh. "If I had a son I'd be thrilled that he had gone out of his way to order flowers for me." Shikamaru went rigid at her statement. He had sworn Ino to secrecy that he was ordering a bouquet of flowers for his mothers birthday but had given her the same excuse about it being his dad's idea, which his team-mate had bought instantly. He watched the beaming woman shrug. "Anyway, the flowers are ready and you've already paid for them. I hope you like them and I hope your mother has a wonderful birthday." she said holding out the vase to him. Silently Shikamaru took the vase and inspected them. He didn't know anything about girly things like flowers but to him these looked and smelt nice.

"Yeah…uh, thanks…" he said before glancing at Inoichi and heading out of the shop. Sayuri gave a small peal of laughter before a streak of yellow, black and orange charged into the room. The ninja nearly knocked an unsuspecting Inoichi to the ground without noticing.

"Hello Naruto…" Sayuri beamed.

"Sa-sa-Sayuri! G-gotta help!" he panted out. "Hi-Hinata…mine…anniversary!" His big blue eyes looked up to the smiling woman.

"You don't have any gift ideas?" she asked.

"No! I have too many!" he whined. "I don't know which are good enough for her…I don't like looking stupid in front of her."

"Yamanaka-san, can I take my break now?" Sayuri asked.

"Sure, take as long as you want." was the response, smiling gratefully, Sayuri walked around the counter and placed her hand on a desperate looking blond shoulder.

"Come on, let's go for a walk." she said, heading out of the shop with him. "So why have you come to me instead of the girls Hinata knows?"

"Well, the only other people on Hinata's original team are Shino and Kiba…they're guys and I know Kiba would definitely make fun of me. Kurenai-sensei has Asuma and the baby taking up her time. And I asked you because you know so much, plus you're a girl and are older so you'll have more experience. Plus you won't make fun of me." he explained as they stopped under the shade of a large tree and sat under the grass.

"Okay, well tell me about you and Hinata and tell me about her personality. Then tell me your gift ideas and we'll see what will be best for her." After saying that, Sayuri sat back against the tree trunk and listened to Naruto talk enthusiastically about his girlfriend and what she was like. When he was finished, Sayuri smiled. "She sounds like a wonderful girl. Puts others first and herself last I'd guess. Doesn't like to disappoint or offend anyone. A very caring girl?"

"Yeah!"

"Well then for the anniversary buy her favourite flowers, chocolates if she has a favourite. And most importantly make the day all about her, instead of putting others first, she is to put herself first. Make sure she knows that whatever she wants to do is what will happen." she smiled widely. "Every girl deserves to be pampered and treated like the most important thing in the world; even if it is for one day. So make sure the phrase 'I'll be happy to do what you want to do' come out of her mouth. Maybe even make a couple of those shadow clones of yours carry her around all day." she shrugged with a smile, enjoying the light breeze play with her hair. Naruto nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! Treat her like a princess! That's great, thank you so much Sayuri!" he yelled out happily, jumping to his feet unable to contain his excitement.

"What are you jumping and yelling about dobe?" the voice of the young Uchiha asked heading towards the blonde with a frown.

"I'm happy, something you don't know about." Naruto shot back with a fist pump. "You should talk to Sayuri! She's great at giving advise…maybe she can help you about your problems." he grinned widely at his raven-haired friend who narrowed his gaze at the whiskered male.

"I don't need advise or help."

"Not even if it's about a certain medic?" Sayuri asked getting to her feet. "She already knows that you got jealous about thinking she'd been with another guy. Just tell her how you feel." she said with a smile, breezing passed the two men to return to the florists.

In the Hokage's office, Tsunade had her hands folded in front of her lips and gazed at the ninja in front of her. "Is there any particular reason why you've called me here?" the man asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have a lot of research to do, a deadline to meet and information on the Akatsuki to gather."

"More like ask around briefly about the Akatsuki and perv on young women." the Hokage snapped with a roll of her brown eyes.

"Now, now Tsunade you wound my artistic soul. I appreciate youth and beauty is all."

"Appreciate it some other time Jiraiya. You've travelled a lot more than I have so you might be able to help me on where this comes from. I have ANBU out but when I heard you were in the area I thought you could be of assistance." she explained reaching into her drawer and pulling out the headband before setting it on the desk for the toad sage to see it. He leaned over to inspect the symbol and looked to Tsunade seriously. "Where did you get this?" he asked.

"A new addition to the village had it…well Tenten gave it to me but either way it belongs to a woman now living here. Why?"

"I'll tell you later but I have to see this woman now." he said seriously. Tsunade looked to the two others in the room.

"Go and retrieve Sayuri from the florists." she commanded. In a poof of smoke the two were gone. Tsunade had expected for the ninja to appear just as quickly as they had left but the minutes ticked by slowly along with some of the Hokage's patience. The sound of footsteps came followed by a knock. One of the ninja stood in the doorway and bowed to her. "Our apologizes, Sayuri insisted on walking. She didn't want us to take her." he explained before the other ninja and finally Sayuri entered. As soon as her foot crossed the doorway her eyes widened along with Jiraiya's when he saw her. "You…" Sayuri whispered walking forward. Tsunade could see a wary look in Jiraiya's eyes as Sayuri took another step forward. In an instant Sayuri's teeth were clenched in anger and she ran at the sage. "BASTARD!" her angry yell shot through the room and she jumped, twisting and sending a kick at his head. What shocked everyone more was that Jiraiya didn't move, he didn't even try to dodge the kick. When her leg connected with the side of his face, he shot across the room and landed against the wall. Not finished, Sayuri stormed towards him.


	9. Chapter 9

Tsunade watched as her former team-mate shot across her office and landed against the wall, landing on the ground. Shock overtook her, stopping her from moving or doing anything. When she saw Sayuri storming towards Jiraiya she looked to the ninja in the room, just as shocked as the Hokage. "Stop her." she commanded, unable to move herself. One of the ninja appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her arms to her side and lifted her off the ground with ease.

"Let…me…GO!" she growled angrily, unable to stop tears falling down her face.

"Let her go." Jiraiya's voice came as he got to his feet, rubbing his neck and wincing.

"Jiraiya…?" Tsunade asked with wide eyes.

"Let her go." he repeated sternly to the ninja who slowly complied. Sayuri charged at him and began to beat on his chest, this time weakly as tears began to flow more strongly. "It's all your fault!" she shouted angrily at him while continually beating his chest with her fists. "You took everything from me. You took my life, my family, my village." the more she spoke the faster and stronger her punches became. "It's YOUR fault that I'm blind and it's your fault I was stuck in that hell for ten years!" she sobbed burying her face against his chest after giving him one final hit. After thirteen years she was finally able to let it all out. She wanted to pull away from the arms that now held her but couldn't, she only sobbed harder when he let out a soft. "I am so sorry for all that has happened to you. But there is a lot you need to know."

"Jiraiya…what is going on?" Tsunade asked her voice no more than a stunned whisper, before the white haired man could speak there was a knock on the door before it opened and Neji, Genma, Gai and Ino walked in.

"We completed the mission Tsunade-sama!" Gai reported enthusiastically. A streak of red flashed by them as Sayuri took her chance and rushed out of the room. Ino looked to Jiraiya's chest and noticed the damp patch where Sayuri's tears had fallen. She also noticed a painful looking mark on the side of his face and neck. Genma frowned.

"Did we interrupt something important?" Neji asked, narrowing his eyes at Gai who seemed to be the only one that hadn't noticed Sayuri.

"I can't be sure…" Tsunade replied, looking at Jiraiya curiously who had moved to the window to see Sayuri exiting the building on the streets below and keep her head down. "I'll expect written reports by the end of the day. That is all." she said. The four nodded and left the room. Turning her seat around to face Jiraiya. "You should start explaining."

"That headband is from the village Hidden in the Marsh Valleys." he explained. Tsunade's eyes widened.

"You mean…she's a ninja from there?"

"Was…I met her when she was thirteen. She was a great ninja. Probably chunin level or higher but was yet to take the chunin exams. I came across the village by accident, I had been injured during a three day long battle and needed a place to lay low and recover. They welcomed me and let me spend as long as I wanted. It's hard to get to that village, but the ninja I had battled with pursued me and managed to find their way there. They saw their opportunity to attack me, the village and gain a prize; the village leader's only daughter." Jiraiya began, his gaze falling to the headband.

"S-she's…?" The Hokage whispered and Jiraiya nodded.

"She fought well from the looks of the room. Two of the ninja in the room were out cold but the room was a mess, another ninja was injured and she had a serious head wound which from what she just said today, I gather was what made her blind. When I got to her, the ninja fled, having what they wanted. I chased them and managed to get her back, only knocking the ninja out and I ran, trying to get to the nearest town and medical building. But I had wound up in enemy territory. Rouges had advanced. I left her in a clearing and drew the rouges away from the scene so they wouldn't find her. But when I got back to the clearing, she was gone. I tried to search for her but she was gone." he continued with a sigh. "So she's right. If I hadn't gone to that village and stayed there for so long she would still be with her family, probably safe in her village and have her sight."

"And what of her family?"

"Alive as far as I know. They didn't die in the attack but it's been thirteen years. Anything could have happened since then. I imagine they're still searching for her. I'll be heading in that direction when I leave. Do you want me to tell them?" he asked. Tsunade bit her lip.

"They should know that their daughter is safe…" she finally said. "You say she was a skilled ninja?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, especially for her age. She'd been a genin since she was ten if I remember correctly. Why?"

"She asked if she could be a ninja…but thirteen years with no training will be hard. Her skills will have weakened since then…plus her lack of sight is an issue…" she fretted.

"Did she need sight to find me in this office? Did that kick seem weak to you?" Jiraiya asked with a chuckle. "You should at least test her. Besides the chunin exams are soon and I can recall two ninja who although are well above the rank are still classed as genin. They could do with a third member. I bet you they'd all pass." he grinned, seeing her eyes flash at the mention of a bet.

"Fine we'll test her…but make contact with her village and let them know." she said handing the headband to the fellow Sanin "But you should talk to Sayuri first and then let her know I wish to see her first thing tomorrow morning."

Sayuri leaned against a large tree, she wasn't exactly sure where she was but glad that it was out in the open. The time she had taken to get to this place had allowed her to calm down and pull herself together. Deep down she didn't truly blame Jiraiya, it was the ninja that attacked her home that were to blame but it was sensing a familiar presence like his that brought up so many memories and all of her bottled emotion that she had to direct it onto someone. She lay her forehead against the bark and sighed out when she felt someone approach.

"You've grown a lot Lady Kurosawa…" slowly she swallowed.

"I apologize for attacking you…it's just…"

"There is no need to apologize. If I didn't think I deserved to be hit I would have dodged."

"Did you get them? The men that took me?"

"No, but I don't forget a face so I'll get them when I see them again." he assured her gaining a small smile.

"Thank you but I can't allow them to get away with it. So I ask you, if you find them. Rough them up and hurt them but bring them to me." she requested.

"Of course. Tsunade would like to speak to you…I happened to mention that you were a skilled ninja and she'd like to test you." he said holding out the head band. Slowly, she reached out and took the item, her fingers lightly feeling the symbol.

"Thank you…are they all alive?"

"To my knowledge. I'm going to tell them where you are and that you're safe." he told her before lightly squeezing her shoulder. "You are to go and see the Hokage tomorrow morning." he told her before turning and walking away, wanting to set off as soon as possible before it got too dark. Sayuri listened to him go and smiled as her thumb moved across the headband. She prayed her family were okay. Knowing that no one was around, she pushed her skirt up and fastened the headband back onto her left thigh. Once it was secure she fixed the fabric and headed back to her and Anko's apartment. "Sayuri, there you are." a voice called, making her turn as she found her way back into the middle of Konoha's streets.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" she asked, tensing when a pair of hands grasped her shoulders.

"Did the pervy sage make you cry?" he demanded.

"Pervy sage?" Sayuri asked curiously with an amused smile.

"Yeah! Genma, Ino and Neji have been saying that you where in Grandma Tsunade's office when they arrived, you were with the pervy sage and you ran out. Ino said it looked like you'd been crying."

"Oh that. No it's fine, Naruto. I knew Jiraiya when I was younger and al this moving to a new place has been emotional so…" she said with a shrug.

"Oooh, so he didn't make a move or anything on you?"

"What? No! Why would he do that?" Sayuri asked in confusion.

"Coz he's the pervy sage. Any pretty girl he sees he asks to help him with 'research'…"

"I see, well no he didn't, I'm going to head back home now. I'll probably see you sometime tomorrow." she smiled before walking on. Naruto watched her leave and grinned, since tomorrow would be his and Hinata's two year anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend he would be taking Sayuri's advice and making the day all about what Hinata wanted.

Sayuri walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her. With a sighed, she rubbed her forehead and walked into the living room where Anko lounged on the sofa. "Feel like going out tonight?" she asked, looking up to the florist.

"Not really, you can go out if you want. I'll be heading straight to bed after a shower." she explained before heading to the bathroom. Anko yawned and stretched out on the sofa, there was sake in the kitchen so there was no point in going out besides Gai was back and he'd be at the bar telling everyone about his youthful mission. She reached back and let her hair down, her gaze going to her tv when one of her favourite shows came on. Halfway into the programme a rapid knocking at the door sounded. "It's open." she called, briefly glancing as Genma and Kakashi walked into the apartment. "Gai?" she asked, gaining a slow nod .

"I went on the goddamn mission and he still feels like he needs to tell me what happened. " Genma muttered in annoyance, heading to the kitchen knowing where Anko kept the alcohol. When he returned to the living room and sat down on the free chair in the room, while Kakashi occupied the other. The two men looked up at the sound of a door opening. Immediately the two men's gazes widened as they watched Sayuri walk out of the bathroom, a short white towel secured around her body, only covering from her chest down to her mid thigh. Her ruby locks clung to her exposed skin and sent more droplets of water down the pale flesh. After walking out of the bathroom, she continued down the hall and into her room. "Jeez Genma, pull yourself together…" Anko muttered with a wild grin, grabbing the sake and opening it to take a drink. Kakashi's looking had gone unnoticed because he glanced at the corner of his visible eye.

"Well what do you expect me to do?" Genma challenged with a glare to a smirking Anko.

"Be subtle for one…" she laughed. "…although you never seem to be able to control yourself when a woman is involved. " she mused, making the senbon user scowl.

"Can so." he muttered, gaining a laugh from both of the ninja in the room.

"What about a bet then?" Anko grinned slyly. "I bet you can't spend to the end of this month without being with a woman. Two weeks, that's all." she laughed at the shocked expression on Genma's face.

"Two weeks? No women?"

"Well you can talk to them but no intimate touching, no kissing and no sex." Anko laughed.

"Okay and what if win? What do I get?" he asked, twirling the senbon in his mouth.

"A round of applause and my respect?" Anko laughed jokingly before shrugging. "Whatever you want."

"You to be my personal slave and to kiss Gai in front of the whole bar." Genma grinned, watching the female choke on the sake she had just begun to swallow. Sharply she hit her chest and looked to him.

"G-gai?" she repeated. "Fine, it's not like you're going to succeed, it's like asking Kakashi to go a whole two weeks without reading his damn books." she laughed, looking at the masked ninja who although had been listening with interest, had Icha Icha in his hands. "I think I have a lot more self control than Genma, I can go a mere two weeks without the books." he spoke up, snapping his book shut. Anko laughed out happily. "And what does the great Copy ninja want if he wins? And I stress the word 'if'. " she asked.

"Hmm, I have a theory you've already kissed Gai and one point or another so I'll have you kiss Jiraiya, clean my apartment and go a whole day training Naruto." he said, leaning back, giving her a happy eye crease. "Shouldn't be too hard for you…" he smirked. "But what will you want if either of us lose?" he wondered out loud.

"Oh that my dear fellows is a secret. I don't want you preparing plus it'll be too fun seeing your faces when I win and deliver your punishment." she grinned happily.

Sayuri stood in front of Tsunade's desk the next morning. The blonde regarded her silently before looking down the piece of paper ANBU had managed to get for her. When every ninja becomes a genin, their file is started and now she was staring at the photo of Sayuri in her youth. To be honest for three years as a ninja not a lot of information could be gathered. All she had was her name, village, rank and the number of missions she'd gone on. Her skills of ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu were not there. Her team members and trainer were also not listed. Iruka stood next to Tsunade looking down at the photo of a ten year old Sayuri. The only difference to her now was that her ice blue eyes were a little darker and had more depth in the photo.

"Are you sure about this Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked, voicing the same concern that Tsunade had.

"I've been a ninja before, my lack of sight will not make me a burden to my team mates whoever they may be. Besides if you are going to stop me from being a ninja why not stop Lee for only having taijutsu abilities?" Sayuri spoke up, the insult of being openly questioned was clear in her voice.

"We are just concerned about you…what if you are sent on a mission to a place you've never been before, how are you going to know what way to go?" Tsunade asked.

"I have a summoned animal, it can lead the way if the cause should ever arise."

"What animal?" Iruka asked curiously.

"Will telling you get me accepted as a ninja to this village?"

"No…But the question is how to test you?" Tsunade spoke.

"Give me the standard genin exam, which if I'm right is a basic clone jutsu. There is no need for me to show you my abilities if you aren't going to accept me? I don't want to reveal my skills if you aren't going to treat me equally." Sayuri said strongly. Sighing, Tsunade looked to Iruka and back to the woman.

"Very well. Create at least five clones." She said. Nodding, Sayuri made the hand signs needed before the room had ten clones, all with their hands on their hips. Tsunade nodded. "Congratulations. You are now a genin for the Hidden Leaf Village." she said, still concerned about how Sayuri would do. She looked as Iruka approached and handed over a leaf headband which she took gently with a smile. "Iruka can you summon Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto for me please?" Iruka looked slowly from Sayuri to Tsunade and left, swiftly returning with the three males who looked at Sayuri curiously.

"Sorry about interrupting your time with Hinata, Naruto." Sayuri spoke to the blonde who grinned.

"No problem, she's having breakfast in bed so it's all good." he said with a bright smile.

"Tsunade-sama, what's this all about?" Kakashi asked, already irritated about not having any Icha-Icha to read.

"I'd like to formally introduce Naruto and Sasuke to their partner for the Chunin exams, Sayuri." she said. All three men looked to her, Naruto with an excited grin, Sasuke with apprehension and Kakashi with disbelief.

"With all due respect Tsunade-sama…is that wise?" he asked, glancing to a tense Sayuri. Her teeth were gritted and her jaw clenched from obvious anger.

"She passed the test and there is also this…" Tsunade said holding out the ninja information on Sayuri. The copy ninja took it and looked to Sayuri. The Hidden Village in the Marsh Valleys. "Also Jiraiya has informed that she is a skilled ninja."

"But she's been out of work and training for thirteen years and she wasn't blind when she was a ninja. Surely-"

"I was only in that town for ten years. The previous three I was able to practice and train myself. I may not have had a lot of chakra to train during those ten years because of the chakra restrictors but I was able to focus on my fighting skills. Also my disadvantage as some would see it is actually a very strong advantage. One most would love to have." Sayuri cut in, fully turned to face Kakashi. "And don't worry you won't have to train me. I'd have thought you'd be glad of someone completing the three man squad needed for your students to finally take part in the exams. Whether I pass shouldn't be any of your concern. All I have to do is to stay with them until the end of the second round right?" she told him angrily. "The exams are next month. So I'll see you then…sensei." she said before bowing at Tsunade, turned sharply on her heel and left the room.

"Gee Kakashi-sensei…no wonder you're still single…" Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"What?" Kakashi asked looking to Tsunade who was slowly shaking her head, Iruka had made the same mistake earlier but he hadn't protested as much or as detailed as Kakashi had.

"You just openly insulted and undermined a young woman who is also a ninja." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, you saw her take down Kenji that night in bar didn't you?" Naruto asked. Kakashi had frowned, he believed that Naruto was too busy talking to Hinata to notice Kenji. "She could be a really good ninja for all you know. Plus the pervy sage says that she's good."

"And you're always telling us to see underneath the underneath." Sasuke added. "See her potential underneath her being blind." Kakashi sighed, he didn't like getting lectured by his students and looked to Tsunade, hoping she'd let them go.

"You are all dismissed. The exams will be in Suna this year." she told them, gaining a happy yell from Naruto.

"Awesome! I bet Shikamaru will come along to see Temari." he grinned as they left the office. "but I'm off to see Hinata." he grinned before speeding off before either Kakashi or Sasuke could stop him. The Copy ninja looked to Sasuke.

"The tests will no doubt be different from the ones you had all those years ago. Time to train." he told the raven haired male who nodded and walked towards the training grounds with him. It wasn't even one whole day into the bet and he was already itching to read his favourite books.

"You're going to do the chunin exams?" Ino repeated as Sayuri worked around the florist with the young girl.

"Yeah, although there is one thing I'm going to be regretting…" Sayuri sighed, holding a large bunch of roses needed for the next few arrangements.

"What's that?" Ino asked with a frown.

"I won't be able to see the looks on their faces when I prove them that I can be a good ninja even without my sight." the scarlet haired woman grinned, making Ino laugh happily.


	10. Chapter 10

It didn't take a genius to know that both Kakashi and Genma had failed in their bets with Anko. Kakashi had held out a lot longer than Genma had but on the last few days of the bet, the newest instalment of the Icha-Icha saga was released and being the huge fan that Kakashi was, he couldn't resist the books anymore. What Anko wanted from the two men was an absolute torture. They had to spend up until the date Kakashi was to leave wearing the exact outfit Gai wore. Orange legwarmers and all. And now he was making his way to the village gates to meet with Naruto, Sasuke and Sayuri to travel to Suna for the chunin exams. The whole situation still made him unsure. He'd never heard of a blind ninja before. How would she complete the written test if there was one? How would she direct herself safely through foreign terrain? So many concerns and issues came to his mind. Maybe if she didn't get through Tsunade would make her give up being a ninja for good this time. His visible eye glanced up when he approached to see Sayuri standing by Izumo and Kotetsu's wooden station, talking to them cheerfully. Over the weeks since she had been accepted as a genin, he hadn't seen her and when he did it was brief and only in passing. Or she seemed to be leaving just as he was arriving. Even as he approached he saw her body language change.

"Sasuke and Naruto not here yet?" he asked the young woman who smiled.

"I haven't seen them around sensei." she retorted back to the man putting emphasis on 'seen' and added hostility on the title of 'sensei'. Nervously he glanced at Izumo and Kotetsu who shrugged helplessly. It was clear she was still angry at him and was definitely holding a grudge she wasn't going to let go of any time soon. Kakashi looked her over. She had black open toed knee-high boots, a thigh length black skirt with slits on either side to show her bandaged thighs, one of which had the leaf headband around it. Her top was a pale lilac that clung to her body, they sleeves were off the shoulder and were the only part of her attire that didn't cling to her body like a second skin. The flowing material fell passed her hands, hiding them from view. Her vibrant red hair was pulled back and tied into a high ponytail. He had to admit she did look good.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're here on time?" Naruto asked in shock as he and Sasuke approached. They looked to their sensei and new group member. The hostility from Sayuri was thankfully only directed at Kakashi. Naruto looked from the female to the male and final to Sasuke.

"We should get going…it is a three day trip to Suna after all…" the Uchiha said, watching as Sayuri grabbed her backpack from the ground and swung it onto her shoulder. She was ready. Kakashi looked at each of them and nodded. "Let's get going." he said, immediately the three men shot off and took to the branches outside the gates. They glanced back to see that Sayuri wasn't behind them, a shadow covered them from above and they looked to see her soar over head, she landed silently on a tree branch and touched off from it. Naruto grinned and shot off from his branch to catch up with her. The blonde and scarlet ninja had pretty much taken the lead and were soon out of sight. "Stop now you two, we're going to take a break." Kakashi called out after a few hours of travelling. By the time her and Sasuke caught up to them, Naruto was perched on a branch while Sayuri was silently doing somersaults and back flips on another. It surprised Kakashi that the woman's skirt didn't move or reveal any part underneath as she made the movements. "How long of a break are we going to take sensei?" Naruto asked. The masked ninja looked away from Sayuri who hadn't halted in her movements.

"Ten minutes I think will be best." he said looking back to Sayuri, just in time to see her shirt move up slightly as she arched her back, seeing the black panther tattoo that she had mentioned on her trip to Konoha. Slowly Sayuri twisted and settled to sit on the branch. She lay her head against the bark of the tree, one leg propped up on the branch while her other dangled down in the air. It wasn't long before they were all relaxing, the heat would make anyone drowsy and the cool shade of the trees was truly inviting. Before they knew it the ten minutes were up and had to set off again. Now that they were all getting further and further away from Konoha they knew to travel together, even though they were still in the Fire Country, there were still rogues about.

"Everything is so quiet." Naruto muttered, he'd never been on a journey this goddamn quiet before.

"Well since you three are going to act as a team for these exams you should ask Sayuri some questions to get to know her better." Kakashi suggested.

"I'm fine with that, ask away. Sensei is welcome to ask too." she added in an overly sweet tone.

"Favourite colour?" Naruto began.

"I like all colours but I've always like purples and reds."

"Any siblings?" Sasuke asked.

"A younger brother."

"What's your favourite element?"

"To use or just in general?" Sayuri asked to Kakashi's question.

"Either."

"Water."

"Is that to use or just in general?" Kakashi asked, only to be greeted with a shrug and coy smile.

"What do you like to do in your free time?" Sasuke asked.

"Sing, dance, cook, sleep…have sex" she added with a smile, throwing all three men momentarily off balance at how casually she said it. "Although I have only slept with one guy since coming here." she added thoughtfully.

"So…back in that town you…?" Naruto trailed off.

"Yes."

"WHY? Those guys were criminals, I mean did they..?"

"They never forced themselves on me. I had a relationship with Kenta for six years and before that I was with a young man who lived in the town but left before I got together with Kenta who believe it or not isn't a criminal. It was either follow Kosuke or be tortured and killed." she told them.

"But you didn't exactly follow Kosuke's orders…" Sasuke said slowly.

"Yes and I was tortured for it. I wasn't killed because Kosuke needed my abilities." The three men fell into silence at her words. "What? No more questions?" she asked brightly.

"What are your dreams for the future?" Naruto asked, remembering that question when Team 7 was first assembled.

"To someday get my revenge on the men that took my sight. But for now I'm just enjoying my freedom from Kosuke." she said happily before taking her turn to ask Naruto and Sasuke the same questions that she had been asked. Before they knew it the sun was setting and they decided to set up camp for the night. Naruto was the first to fall asleep, soon followed by Sasuke. Kakashi decided to take up the first shift for night watch. His visible eyes scanned over the bed roll that Sayuri was lying on. She really was a mystery.

The rest of the journey to the Sand was peaceful and uneventful. When they reached the village, Baki was there to greet them, Tsunade must have sent word. All of the other Leaf genin and those from the other countries had already arrived. The only reason Kakashi and the others set off late was because Naruto had been on a mission and Sayuri had wanted to get a good understanding of the village layout after the others arrived. To the others it seemed as though she wanted to arrive just before the exams started to avoid waiting around for others to arrive. She also insisted on not letting anyone know she was blind other than the Kazekage and exam proctors. Baki bowed to them and looked to Sayuri. "I will show you all to your living quarters for the duration of the exams." he told them before walking through the streets. He passed by the apartment blocks where some ninja from other countries were in, some outside and watching the four leaf ninja pass. Baki led them into the Kazekage mansion. "Are we seeing Gaara first?" Naruto asked.

"Yes and no. Gaara wanted you to stay in here since there is plenty of room and as a way of saying thank you for all that you've done for us in the past. All leaf ninja are staying here along with other teams since there isn't enough space in the town." he explained stopping at a door and opened it. "Two of you will stay here and the other two will be in the room next door. "

"I'm happy with anyone." Sayuri said letting the men decide among themselves.

"I'll share with Naruto." Sasuke said. "you two need to work on teamwork." he explained when the two older ninja frowned at the decision. Actually Kakashi needs to work on being less of a jackass. Sayuri couldn't help but think. However not wanting to seem rude or ungrateful in front of the man showing them around she smiled. "I'm perfectly fine with that" she said. Baki looked to the woman and then to Kakashi who scratched the back of his head and slowly nodded, watching as Naruto and Sasuke went into their room to leave their stuff. Silently Kakashi and Sayuri dumped their things just inside the room, not bothering to fully go inside. Casually Kakashi looked to Baki. "Is Gaara expecting us?" he asked. Baki glanced at Sayuri and finally spoke.

"Gaara and the proctors would like to speak to Sayuri alone first, if that's okay with you all." he said before turning and continuing on to the Kazekage's office. Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi waited outside the door while Sayuri entered the office with Baki. The next hour slowly passed before the door finally opened and Temari stood in front of them with a smirk, letting them enter.

"You're a proctor?" Naruto whined as he entered before seeing Kankuro grinning from his place next to Gaara. "You too?"

"Damn straight, we may be jounin but Gaara didn't want anyone else to be the head examiners but us." Temari grinned. Kakashi looked to Sayuri who was seated in front of Gaara's desk, facing the emotionless Kazekage who gave his own small smile to Naruto and the others as greeting. Sayuri rose and stood before bowing low to Gaara. "Thank you for speaking with me Kazekage, but I will leave you and my team-mates to talk in private." she explained before rising, giving him a warm smile and left the room silently.

"So what were you all talking about?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"We needed to make sure she was capable of taking the exams…this is the first time any of us have encountered a blind ninja. We also wanted to ensure that she knew that none of the proctors will go easy on her because of her injury but when we were in the middle of doing so she was the one that began to assure us. She said she would take it as a great insult if any proctor who had knowledge of her condition would give her special treatment." Kankuro explained looking to Gaara who nodded.

"She's going to be an interesting one to watch, also I've entrusted the roles of proctors to Baki, Temari and Kankuro as I know they won't speak a word of Sayuri being blind to anyone. " The young Kazekage added before looking to Kakashi. "Have you trained her along with Naruto and Sasuke?"

"No, she's been added to the group to make up three people like the exams require. None of us have actually seen her abilities in terms of weapons, jutsu and fighting."

"Then who has been training her to prepare for these exams?" Temari asked.

"We don't know to be honest…" Sasuke answered looking to Naruto who grinned and shrugged.

"She'll be fine. Hey Gaara, you wanna give us a little insider knowledge about the exams?" he grinned slyly to the Kazekage who looked slightly shocked.

"You know if Sakura was here, she'd give you a punch for asking that." Sasuke muttered.

"I'm kidding! Because it doesn't matter what we're tested on, we're going to pass!" the whiskered man declared loudly and confidently. The statement made those in the room smile, a typical Naruto statement.

When Kakashi returned to his room later that evening he was greeted with the sight of Sayuri smoothing out a blanket on the sofa in the small living area of the open room. Kakashi frowned and looked into the bedroom trough the open door to see a double bed.

"There is no need to sleep on the sofa." he said watching as she lightly hit and fluffed the pillow.

"Oh I know, the sofa isn't where I'm sleeping. The sofa is made up in case you want to sleep here." she told him with a smile. "I didn't know if you'd insist on being a gentleman and letting me have the bed or be stubborn, argue and end up sleeping in the same bed as me so I've avoided the need of an argument. I'm not going to force you. This isn't just my room and it's best we learn to get along." she explained. Her assuming that he'd argue with her irritated him and to be honest the bed look extremely comfortable. Besides maybe he could get her to sleep on the sofa? The masked ninja watched as she breezed passed him to grab her back from the doorway.

"I'll sleep on the bed." he told her, watching as she momentarily paused before turning her head towards him.

"Fine." was her only response as she walked into the bedroom and dropped her bag on the side closest to the door. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. That was his side. "Something wrong?" he heard her ask as she reached up and let her hair down. His dark eye watched as her pale, slender fingers ran through the dark red locks.

"No, nothing's wrong." he muttered before heading into the bathroom, wanting to take a shower. As the hot water beat down on his back he sighed, thinking of the exams that were going to start tomorrow. Unconsciously his mismatched gaze looked to the door. He truly wondered if Sayuri was capable. When the water began to turn cold, he shut it off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist and placed another over his shoulders, angling it so the lower half of his face was covered. He stepped out of the bathroom and looked to see Sayuri beginning to fall asleep on the bed, changed into a tank top and small pair of shorts. The copy ninja frowned, she was still on his side of the bed. This type of situation had never occurred before, any missions he'd gone on with females, there were usually rooms with separate beds or the girl would insist of sleeping on the sofa, and depending on who they were he would sleep on the sofa instead. Any other time he shared a bed with a woman whatever side they were on wasn't exactly a priority for him. He approached the near sleeping woman and gently slid her across to the other side of the bed before sitting down, pretending to ignore her when she yelled out "Hey!" as he moved her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" she demanded, sitting up and folding her arms across her chest. Kakashi turned his head to look at her. The glare she had was a bit unnerving but he smirked and continued to run part of the towel through his hair. "I'm getting ready for bed what are you doing?"

"I WAS about to fall asleep until a rude jackass moved me." she growled, Kakashi stopped his movements. He'd never been called a jackass before.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but since we'll be sharing this room for some time you should know that this is my side of the bed." he told her calmly, grinning at the gasp he heard from behind him. "If you don't like it you can always sleep on the sofa…or the other side of the bed. " he added. Sayuri ground her teeth together before swiftly sending a kick to his back, ready to force him off of the bed. However being a jounin and he had seen her prepare to move from the mirror in the corner of the room, he was able to turn and catch her by the ankle. "I wouldn't advise getting this worked up the night before your exams." he told her. Sayuri let out a low growl, she placed her free foot on Kakashi's chest and grabbed him by the shoulders. Arching her back and using Kakashi's weight against him, pulled him and flipped him off of the bed. Using his ninja skills, Kakashi landed on his feet and glared at Sayuri who was defiantly lying under the covers on the side of the bed he wanted a smug smirk shaping her pale pink lips. The silver haired male scowled, and grabbed the duvet, pulling it sharply to the bottom of the bed. He bent over and grabbed Sayuri by the ankle, dragging her across the bed. She let out an outraged yelp and brought her free leg up and sent it down onto Kakashi's side, knocking him to the bed. As soon as his body hit the mattress she tightened her leg's hold over him. Kakashi froze, the position they both were in wasn't exactly professional. His upper arm was now against her inner thigh and the smooth skin of her other thigh was right across his chest, her foot planted firmly on the crook of his arm. His head was resting on her hipbone…he was right between her legs. It didn't help matters that he was only covered with a towel and the whole building was unbelievably hot even at night. He grabbed her thigh and lifted it off of his body before flipping Sayuri onto her stomach. "We should settle this like adults…" Kakashi said to her, not realising that he still had a hand on her thigh as he knelt on either side of her legs.

"Well you did start it, I had that side first so the only logical thing would be for you to act your age and sleep on the side closest to the window. " Sayuri panted out, slightly breathless from being suddenly flipped.

"I said 'we should', you know your behaviour isn't very ladylike." he muttered to her. He was taken by surprise when she reached back, grabbed him behind his knees and knocked him onto his back. Roughly, Sayuri got up and pinned Kakashi down, straddling his waist. "Living with criminals and rogues for ten years can do that to you. Now why don't you be a good boy and let the lady sleep where she wants?" she suggested with a smirk.

"As long as it isn't in my spot then the lady can sleep do as she pleases." Kakashi retorted back to her.

Neither Kakashi or Sayuri got a lot of sleep that night, when they had thought the issue was settled, they'd awake to find that the other had somehow managed to switch sides and so the arguing continued. Kakashi yawned as he walked with the three to the examination building with the others. After getting them to the door he disappeared in a puff of smoke to the waiting room where the other jounin would be. Kakashi sat himself with the other leaf ninja and sat back, prepared to spend the next couple of hours sleeping. "Boy you look like hell." a familiar voice chuckled, slowly Kakashi lifted his head to look at Genma sleepily.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to watch the exams. I know I should wait for the final exam because everyone knows what that'll be but I've built up some time off and thought a little time in Suna would be great. Plus…" he trailed off seriously as he looked to Kakashi. "…I missed you far too much to be apart for over a month! I just couldn't bear it my darling!" Genma confessed dramatically, grinning as Kakashi lay his head down on the table, too tired to even shut Genma up.

"Jeez, Naruto's snoring didn't get worse did they?" he asked.

"No, that damn woman kept me up all night…"

"Sayuri! Oh man you've got to tell me the whole story!" Genma gasped enthusiastically.

"Not in that way." Kakashi growled before thinking 'if it had been that way I'd be glad of the lack of sleep.' Sudden thoughts began to start in his mind but he quickly stopped himself. He needed to get a woman while he was here, he wasn't even attracted to Sayuri, sure she was good looking but she irritated him to no end.

"Oh and in what way did she keep you up all night?" Genma asked in disappointment, what he'd been thinking was a lot more fun than what really happened.

"It doesn't matter, just let me sleep." the masked ninja groaned making Genma laugh.

"Sayuri are you sure you're okay to do this? You look…" Naruto began, the dark circles under her eyes were clear signs of a bad night's sleep.

"I'll be fine…" she muttered, clearly irritated.

"Oh look leaf ninja…the girl seems too out of it to actually do the test." a cloud ninja muttered to his team mates when the three walked in. "They look a little…iffy to me. I bet you they won't even pass the first test." the second of the group muttered. Naruto glared.

"YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH US PAL?" he roared, gaining the attention of all those in the room. Swiftly Sayuri lay her hand on the blonde's shoulder, letting out a large yawn.

"Forget them Naruto. They aren't a balanced team, if any exams are centred around group dynamic or working efficiently as a team, they'll fail." she informed him with another yawn. The three cloud ninja glared at the young woman.

"If you're going to insult us, why don't you do it to our faces. Or are you all talk? Besides if anyone is an unbalanced team it's you three." the male sneered at Sayuri who yawned and leaned against the wall, not bothering to turn her head towards him.

"I don't look at you because you're a complete waste of my time, if I even turned my head in your direction you'd take it as an ego boost. " she muttered. Sasuke and Naruto looked to the three cloud ninja. It reminded them of their chunin exams those years ago when they started something no thanks to Naruto's outburst when they entered the room. The cloud ninja looked Sayuri up and down before sneering at her again. "Listen babe, why don't you do yourself a favour and quit now. It's clear you're too pretty not to mention weak to be a ninja…although maybe you're just doing this for your friends. Either way, if you go up against me you will fail this exam." Sighing Sayuri pushed off the wall and lay her hand on the male's cheek, she leaned in forward until her lips were at his ear.

"Listen 'babe' make another comment like that to me again and you will regret it. Because I know your weakness…and if you go up against me you are going to be the one to fail." she said in a low sweet voice.

"Okay everyone! Your first exam is about to start." Baki's voice called from the front f the room, silencing all of the genin. They all, except for a yawning Sayuri looked to see a large bulk of paper in his hands. Sasuke and Naruto looked to Sayuri with concern. It was going to be a written exam!


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto and Sasuke didn't know how it happened but it did. Their team passed a written exam with a blind girl as their third team member. Like the one they experienced with Ibiki with was meant to mentally test you and to test how you could gather information unnoticed along with the disguised chunin's taking the test. However this one was designed for the genin to give into the pressure and caused many of them to walk out. Once they reached the end of the two hour exam the teams that remained passed. Naruto and Sasuke thought that Sayuri just sat through the two hours, without being able to see the exam she had no reason to be stressed or pressured. When they glanced at her during the exams, she had her head hung and arms folded on the table, making it look like that she was reading but not writing. Either way they counted themselves lucky and began to leave the room to meet up with Kakashi. But the two young men heard on of the cloud ninja they had encountered speaking to the one that had called Sayuri 'babe' and the other member of his group. "I'm telling you Sora! I was sitting next to her the whole exam, she didn't even pick up the pen once and bam! By the end of the exam she had every answer written." On cue, Naruto, Sasuke and the cloud ninja looked to Sayuri who was waiting by the door, looking like she was ready to fall over. The two team 7 members exchanged glances and left the room when they reached Sayuri. As they stepped onto the street they were greeted by Kakashi and Genma.

"So what was it?" Kakashi asked.

"A written exam like the one we had back in Konoha. The answers didn't matter though." Sasuke told him. Immediately Genma and Kakashi's gazes fell to Sayuri.

"It doesn't matter though, we passed!" Naruto gave the two men his trademark fox grin. Sayuri gave a tired smile and another huge yawn, covering her mouth with her sleeve covered hand.

"At least the answers didn't matter." Genma grinned.

"Well that's the thing, apparently Sayuri answered the questions…according to a cloud ninja at least…" Sasuke spoke up.

"Yeah, how did you do that?" Naruto asked with a grin. Sayuri finished yawning and smiled widely.

"Replacement jutsu." Naruto's eyes widened.

"WHAT?"

"I could tell that they had chunin's placed in the room disguised as genin. So in the final moments of the exam I replaced my blank paper with one of their completed tests." Sayuri shrugged.

"You sneaky minx." Genma broke out with a hearty laugh. Sayuri broke out into another yawn and lightly patted Sasuke and Naruto on their shoulder. "I'm going to report to the Kazekage office." she told them.

"You sure? Naruto or I could do it…" Sasuke said eyeing the exhausted female with concern.

"Listen, you two need to stick together. I'll be fine on my own. I'll see you guys tomorrow for the second exam." she said before walking off.

"Why is she going to see Gaara?" Kakashi asked.

"At the end of the exam, Baki said that one member from each team had to report to Gaara's office, it's to do with the second exam." Naruto explained folding his hands behind his head. "Let's go somewhere to eat. I'm starving." he grinned before turning and heading into the town in search of a place that would have ramen.

Sayuri hadn't returned to them. When they went to the Kazekage building that evening there was no trace of her. Thinking she might be in their room trying to catch up on sleep, Kakashi looked into the bedroom to see that she wasn't there. Frowning the masked ninja left to meet up with Genma who was making him go out to a bar. "Still no sign of her?" he asked as he chewed on his senbon.

"Not in the room…must be an exam thing I guess. Good thing is I'll have uninterrupted sleep tonight." he joked with a small laugh. Genma grinned and shook his head.

"I can't believe you fought with her over a side of the bed." he laughed, clapping his masked friend on the back as they headed out to the dark streets of Suna.

"Your team mates have been taken prisoner." Kankuro announced to the group on genin.

"What do you mean?" A grass ninja demanded.

"This situation is not uncommon for ninja. There will come a time when you will lose a member of your team and it will be up to you to regroup in order to make your mission successful. Yesterday after the first exam when one genin from each team arrived to the Kazekage office, they were rendered unconscious with a genjutsu after being briefed on this exam. In a couple of hours they will awaken and will have their own part of the exam to take." the puppet master explained.

"And is their part of the exam in any way similar to ours?" a mist ninja spoke up.

"In a way. They are to escape and find the remainder of their team."

"That sounds far too easy…" one of the leaf genin said suspiciously, everyone watched as Kankuro grinned.

"Of course it does because there is another element to this test. Not just survival and the ability to regroup with your team is being tested." he laughed. "Not only will you have to complete this exam within four days but you have to do this exam with a slight restriction…"

"Restriction?" one of the cloud ninja repeated uneasily, watching as Kankuro lifted a pair of shackles.

"Your team mate." he smirked. "The two members of each team here will be chained together. So teamwork is going to be tested to the extreme. Under no circumstances are you to remove the chains unless you have a key."

"Where is the key?"

"With your missing team mate, naturally. Only when all three of you are together can the chains be removed. Oh and you have to get to the watch tower as well, its at the very end of this fenced off area." he chuckled, lightly tapping the metal fence behind him. "About this area behind me, it's a mix of terrains; open desert, forest, mountains and so on with a whole lot of obstacles that will make this a whole lot more difficult." he smirked. "Any questions?"

"Apart from regrouping with our missing member, removing the chains with only the key they have and getting to the destination within the time period…are there any rules? I mean are we allowed to engage in battles with the competition to lower the number who pass?" another ninja spoke up.

"Actually we encourage that, get rid of the competition, steal the keys so they can't finish all of that. Although we don't recommend actually killing any teams. Battles are allowed but it might be difficult when you're still chained together. But anyway, I've said enough. When you're ready get chained together and go with one of the chunin to go to a starting point. Once you're all ready the exam will begin." he instructed. Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other and moved to get ready. Fifteen minutes after being positioned at entrances and chained together, the teams waited, as soon as the gates snapped open, their movements were not the usual graceful, sharp ones associated with ninja. Being chained together was difficult. Naruto and Sasuke had tried to leap to two different trees but were thrown back and ended up on a heap on the ground. Worse than that, Kankuro had seen the two and let out a large bellowing laugh along with the chunin that had opened the gate. Laughs from the other chunin seemed to grow larger; all of the genin seemed to have trouble with this test.

Sora rubbed his head as he pushed himself up unsteadily onto his feet. He loathed genjutsu. Absolutely loathed it. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around. He seemed to be in some sort of mountain terrain. Thankfully a couple of trees had provided him with some shade. He glared up at the harsh sun. Regardless of the terrain, he was still in the middle of Suna and the unrelenting desert heat. After scanning the area, he decided it would be best to find a river or stream to get water, four days in this place was going to need a hell of a lot of water. He walked down the mountain and when he was at a safe enough height, he leapt down from the different plains until he was on level ground. His pale brown eyes caught a glimpse of scarlet as he rushed through the mountain area. He ground to a halt and ran back a few yards. A slow grin spread across his lips as he spotted the leaf ninja lying on one of the ledges of a steep mountain face. She was still unconscious which made it a lot more easy. Slowly he pulled out a kunai and prepared to throw it. However the ledge she was on was weak and unstable, the ledge began to crumble and give way. Sayuri fell down through the air and landed on top of Sora who had been trying to avoid the falling rocks didn't have time to pay attention on the woman. He let out a winded groan as he was knocked to the ground. A knock to his head left him momentarily dazed, after getting his breath back he rolled onto his stomach and got to his feet. Looking around he found that Sayuri was gone. With an annoyed growl he set off, wanting to get this exam finished as soon as possible. Sayuri sped off through the mountain terrain, slipping and stumbling occasionally, she hadn't been awake for very long and her body was still under the affects of what the proctors had used to knock her out. She winced as she stumbled again and as rocks sliced at her bare shoulder and the exposed fleshed of her legs and knees. Sayuri hissed through the pain as she slowly got to her feet, shakily feeling around and grabbed a tree branch to keep steady. Her hand went to the leaf forehead protector on her thigh and calmed her breathing. Her injuries were mere scratches, she'd be fine…she recalled all of the pain brought with Kosuke's cruel beatings at most the scratched on her body were like little insect bites, easy to ignore. Sayuri ran her thumb over the scratch on her shoulder that produced a little bit of blood and nodded to herself. She'd find Naruto and Sasuke quickly and then they would go to their destination together.

Kakashi sat by the open window in the watch tower, his book in one hand while the other was tucked casually behind his head.

"But Kankuro-san it's strange. Why can't we ask you about it?" a voice piped up.

"Because it isn't all that strange and I told you not to talk about it." the young puppet master snapped as he sat down, narrowing his eyes at the frowning chunin.

"But isn't it unfair…all the others were rendered unconscious through jutsu though…"

"None of us knew that was going to happen but it's done now so drop it, if anything it may give the other teams the advantage. Now get back to work." Kankuro snapped, narrowing his gaze as the chunin hurried out of the room.

"What was that about?" Kakashi asked, glancing over to Kankuro who tensed and slowly looked at the silver haired ninja.

"Well…when the genin came to the office yesterday, we used genjutsu to knock them out…"

"But?" Kakashi pressed.

"It didn't work on someone…so we had to get a medic to inject them to knock them out. The chunin in the room think it might be unfair but we had no other choice since the genjutsu didn't work." he sighed.

"It couldn't be helped I suppose. I take it Temari will be in charge of the final exam."

"Yeah, she loves to watch a good fight. So having her look over the tournament will be best." Kankuro laughed. Kakashi chuckled softly and looked out the window to see the different terrains around them. Already he had heard screams and explosions from battles. The sun was beginning to set now, there was no doubt that the intense heat and being restricted in movements while being chained to another person would make most of the teams irritated. The masked ninja grinned as he thought on how Naruto and Sasuke were doing.

"WOULD YOU QUIT IT!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke kicked him for the fourth time since they settled down to get a few hours of sleep.

"You're far to close, move over."

"I CAN'T!" Naruto snapped, lifting his chained wrist with a scowl.

"Look we might as well get used to this, the sooner we get to Sayuri the better." Sasuke muttered lying on his side awkwardly. This was going to be a long exam. The Uchiha groaned as Naruto's loud snores sounded, drowning out any thoughts he was having. Sighing, Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise coming from his team mate.

Sayuri broke into the forest terrain and leapt into the trees. She settled on one of the branches and threw back some river water she had collected earlier. The cold liquid refreshed her as it went down her throat and into her system. Pouring some on her hand she rubbed the back of her neck and face before rubbing some onto the scratches she kept getting. Once the flask of water was closed and placed back into her pouch she set off again, leaping from tree to tree.

"Leaf ninja!" a voice shouted. "Let's get her, she hasn't caught up to her team yet." Sayuri sighed at the voice. Placing more chakra into her feet she pushed off from the branches to get more speed. She wasn't in the mood to fight with two ninja who were now chasing her. With a groan, she dropped, hooked her legs around the branch and dropped to the ground before heading off in another direction. "Come on coward! FIGHT US LITTLE GIRL!" a voice yelled out at her. Glaring, Sayuri ground to a halt and spun around before lifting her hidden hands to make hand-signs.

When Naruto and Sasuke slept, the sounds of screams made them wake. They looked to each other and slowly made moves to get up. They'd slept long enough in terms of the exam and it's harsh environment that left no real time for long periods of rest. When they stepped out from their small shelter a low growling came from the shadows. The immediate feeling of being watched crept across them, giving them chills. This growling and staring was predatory, they looked around, even with their enhanced ninja abilities they couldn't pinpoint where this predator was coming from. It was circling them from the shadows. "This doesn't seem good…" Naruto muttered, slowly drawing out a kunai along with Sasuke. The two stood back to back, ready to defend and attack from either side. They watched as suddenly something burst through the bushes and blinked to se that it was just a rabbit. "I hate this place." Naruto said, relaxing.

"You shouldn't relax at any point of this exam, Naruto." a voice said making the two males spin to see Sayuri leaning against a tree with a smirk.

"Sayuri!" Naruto cheered with a grin. He watched as her deep blue eyes closed into a happy smile. She pushed away from the tree and headed towards them.

"Hold it!" Sasuke snapped, making Sayuri stop and look at him.

"What is it?"

Slowly Sasuke leaned his head over and whispered to Naruto who gasped.

"You're right! SHE'S A FRAUD!" He shouted glaring at a now angry Sayuri.

"H-how exactly am I a fraud?" she asked nervously.

"Sayuri never makes direct eye contact." Sasuke said evasively.

"Plus her eyes are a different colour and she doesn't smile like that." Naruto added. The Sayuri in front of them slowly glared and the transformation fell away to reveal a female mist ninja, slowly she pulled out a key. "And here I was going to let you out of your chains…" she smirked before pulling out a few kunai. "Oh well I guess I'll ju-. " she cut off into a strangled noise. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head before she fell to the ground. Naruto looked to see a scratched, dirtied Sayuri leap down and approach the unconscious form and kneel down. She felt around and grabbed the key from her hand.

"Prove to us you're Sayuri." Sasuke ordered her.

"Naruto, you came to me for advise on how to treat Hinata for your anniversary. Sasuke you carried me part of the way to Konoha and even though you won't fully admit it, you got very jealous when I made a hint that Sakura wasn't a virgin." she sighed, straightening up. "Your teacher and man who brought us here is Kakashi who is a jackass to me most of the time." she continued with a hand on her hip, while she held three keys in her other hand. She walked over and used one of the keys to unlock the chains only for Naruto to pull back. "Aren't you going to ask us to prove who we are?" he asked.

"I don't need to, I know that it's you." Sayuri smiled.

"So what did you do to that girl?" Sasuke asked.

"Simple genjutsu. She won't wake up for a long time." she assured them before smiling. "Let's go we have a long way to go before we reach the tower." she said before the three began to set off through the forest terrain.

"So how did you find us so easily?" Naruto asked, noting that the second day for the exam was only just beginning as the sun was beginning to rise.

"This isn't the place for that…anyone could hear. Besides I've lessened the amount for teams to pass."

"Yeah you have three keys, ah well that doesn't matter. We're going to pass this exam no problem." he cheered out happily. Sasuke smirked, rubbing his wrist, glad to be free of Naruto and his constant want of going a different way from him.

"Another team was successful in removing the chains." a chunin reported to Kankuro who looked up from fixing one of his puppets.

"Oh? What chain number was it?"

"Thirteen, sir." Grinning, Kankuro looked over to Kakashi.

"That'll be your team. All they have to do is get to the tower." he informed the masked ninja who blinked and looked over to Kankuro.

"Who reached who first?" he asked. He knew that both the chains and keys had tracking devices on them for the chunin to investigate who was following the rules or not.

"The female had a key…well she had three actually and reached the other two first." the chunin reported. The news made Kakashi's eye widen slightly. Sayuri tracked the boys down? He let out a small 'huh' as he thought about how she could have done it.

"Kankuro-san, the three keys that were held by the thirteenth team have disappeared." the chunin reported to him. Kakashi chuckled.

"They've probably destroyed them to lessen the number of teams that can finish." he told the chunin. Kankuro smirked and nodded.

"It'll also lessen the targets on their backs, the only reason people will go after them is if they want to get rid of the competition. But I don't think anyone would last long against them." he chuckled. Kakashi nodded as he thought about those that would go up against Naruto and Sasuke and would definitely fail…he wasn't sure how someone would go against Sayuri though. It looked like he'd finally see her abilities in the final stage of the exam.

"Where are you two going?" Sayuri asked standing next to a stream, her bare feet lightly dipped in the flowing water, enjoying the afternoon heat and cold water. She could here the two males of the team heading on. "We're close to the tower, we just have to go on through the desert terrain that's just ahead." Naruto grinned.

"Naruto, there's nothing out in that desert." Sayuri told him with a frown. Sasuke frowned at her.

"Huh?" Naruto asked. Sayuri sighed.

"That desert terrain is just sand, rocks and unbearable heat. If you see a tower in the distance, it's a genjutsu."

"But Kankuro said it was at the very end of this fenced off area."

"That reinforces your mind's belief that what you're seeing is the real deal. They want to test us and limit the numbers of those that pass. The real watchtower is somewhere else." she informed them. For the first time in the second exam, Sasuke activated his sharingan. "She's right, it is a genjutsu." he said. "But where is the real watchtower?" he asked. Sayuri sighed.

"I don't know that."

"If only Hinata was here, she'd be able to tell us…" Naruto muttered. Sasuke thought for a moment and smirked.

"I may have the next best thing." he said, biting his thumb and using the summoning jutsu. A hawk looked at the Uchiha silently.

"Survey the land and find the tower." he ordered. The bird spread it's wings and took to the sky. After a while a piercing cry sounded. Naruto and Sasuke looked up to see the hawk heading towards the east. "Okay let's go. You two lead the way." Sayuri smiled. Naruto and Sasuke nodded and took off, following the hawk that led them straight to the real watchtower. Once the hawk landed on Sasuke's shoulder it disappeared into a puff of smoke before they opened the doors and walked in.

"Well done you three." Kankuro's voice called to them cheerfully as he approached them. Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You were going to trick us!"

"But you didn't fall for it. I take it your sharingan stopped you all from tiring yourselves out there in the desert." he smirked to Sasuke.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without Sasuke." Sayuri smiled warmly before removing something from behind her leaf headband and held it out in Kankuro's direction. "You'll want this tracker back." she said, the smile leaving her when a puff of smoke appeared and Kakashi stood in between Sasuke and Naruto. "Yo." he said casually, looking at the three, Naruto and Sasuke had dirt on their clothes and no scratches…Sayuri on the other hand had thin red marks on most of her skin that was visible along with dirt on her clothes and face. "Have a hard time?" he asked them casually.

"No, it was actually pretty easy." Sayuri mused.

"I can see that…" the masked man mused.

"Clearly. But I'd love for you to be still partially drugged while you make your way down a steep mountain and engage in battles without gaining a scratch or falling once. Since you're such an expert on everything. " Sayuri snapped back at him before turning towards a stunned Kankuro. "Can you show me where we'll be spending the remainder of these four days. I really want to sleep." she said softly. Kankuro nodded. "Sure, come on you two I'll show you guys as well." he told Sasuke and Naruto who followed him along with Kakashi who was staring at the back of Sayuri's head intently. She said 'partially drugged'…did that mean she was the one that the genjutsu didn't work on?


	12. Chapter 12

"I don't believe this…" Sora seethed angrily, glaring at the three leaf ninja, the red head in particular.

"What is it?" one of his team mates asked warily, not liking to be around Sora when he was truly pissed off.

"That team. They got here before us…and I know that bitch is the one who took that bastard key." he growled out. Five teams had passed the second exam; two from leaf, one mist, one cloud and one sand. Sora looked through each of them, some seemed to be barely standing and ready to pass out.

"Congratulations on passing. The third exam will be in a month…but if any of you feel that you can not continue on are free to drop out and try again next year." Kankuro announced to them. The female ninja from mist glanced to Naruto's team and raised her hand. "I-I'd like to drop out." she said, her body shaking uncontrollably. Sora looked back to the two of his team and smirked when they had their hands raised.

"We'd like to drop out too." one said.

"Good choice…" Sora muttered before looking forward. A sand genin and a leaf genin raised their hands. Kankuro raised his eyebrows, the two cloud ninja that dropped out seemed extremely relieved to no longer be apart of the exams or in the same team as the remaining one. The mist girl was seriously shaken up, her frightful gaze kept looking to Naruto, Sasuke and Sayuri. The leaf and sand ninja that had dropped out just looked exhausted and thought that they wouldn't pass.

"Very well, you may all leave." he told them. The teachers of the remaining teams stood behind Kankuro, Temari and Baki. Gaara looked to Temari and nodded. Smiling the blonde woman walked forward, a clipboard in her hands.

"The final exam is a tournament, a series of one on one battles until there is only one of you remaining. But don't think that if you are defeated in your first battle you won't pass. There is a chance that all of you will pass. Show your skills to those watching and prove you can become chunin." she told them before looking to the clipboard.

"Fight one will be between: Sora Shimizu and Sayuri Kurosawa. Fight two: Takeshi Ito and Naruto Uzumaki, Fight three: Sasuke Uchiha and Daisuke Arai. Fight four: Tokemi and Yumi. Finally fight five: Mimiko Yamamoto and Goro Sato." Temari called out. "The tournament is in one month's time and will take place at the arena in the middle of Suna. Don't be late, and good luck." she told them. Naruto grinned happily as Kakashi approached them.

"What the hell made Hatsuka cave in and drop out?" a voice growled. The two remaining mist ninja bowed low to their jounin superior.

"We don't know captain. We came across her unconscious and when she woke up she couldn't stop screaming. She was hysterical, sir." the young man named Goro informed him. Kakashi looked to the boys in the group, he knew they'd win. The young man Sora looked to be a little older than Naruto and continually sent glares in their direction but now a cruel twisted smirk shaped his face when he learned he would be the first to fight and seemed happy that his fight would be against Sayuri. The masked ninja looked to the blank faced female. "So how will we arrange this training process?" Sasuke spoke up.

"Kakashi-sensei can train you two. He knows your abilities and strengths, he knows what you need to work on. I'll be fine with my own training for a month. Remember it's still an exam and I will be fighting at least one of you in the tournament." Sayuri spoke up. "Although it's a pain that I'm going first; everyone will see my fighting style…" she frowned before shrugging.

"How are you going to train on your own?" Naruto asked, unable to keep the grin off his face, he would like to go up against her in a fight.

"I never said I'd be training on my own. I'll get someone, don't worry." she smiled stretching her hands above her head and let out a groan.

"It should be you that should worry miss." a low voice came, the three leaf men looked at the cloud jounin who was smirking at Sayuri, Sora stood next to the teacher and grinned at the unconcerned girl. "Sora won't go easy on a woman like you." he told her, watching as Sayuri smirked.

"That's good to know, I like it rough anyway." she almost purred at the cloud men. The statement making the men around her tense and fight to stop a blush from tainting their cheeks. "but I wouldn't want Sora to train too hard this month…he might cause more damage to his ankle." she added sweetly with fake concern.

"His ankle?" the jounin repeated trying to sound collected, it annoyed him that this young woman wouldn't even look in their direction. A clear sign of disrespect.

"Yes, he's trying not to put too much pressure on it but doesn't want to limp. Walking causes him great discomfort, didn't you know?" she asked kindly unable to keep the patronizing tone out of her voice.

"And how would a little girl like you know?" Sora spat out, clearly ready to punch her.

"Because I don't have the attention span of a dung beetle?" Sayuri asked innocently before turning her head slightly in Sora's direction. "Rest up and I'll see you at the arena for our fight." she told him before walking away, purposely tapping Sora's ankle as she walked by and gained a satisfying howl from the cocky cloud genin. The jounin glared at her direction. "Damn bitch, come on Sora, we need to make sure you tear her to shreds." he ordered before walking away with no concern about Sora's ankle.

Later that evening the leaf males sat at a table in a bar. "I'm looking forward to actually getting to watch the fights this year." Sasuke mused, gaining a laugh from Naruto.

"Yeah, and try not to make sure a show off entrance this time too." the whiskered teen grinned before drinking the last of his sake.

"I wonder who is going to train Sayuri though…" Genma spoke up throwing back some of his own drink.

"She said she'd find someone…but I think she won't be comfortable asking anyone she doesn't know." Sasuke said thoughtfully.

"Who knows, maybe the pervy sage will train her. He knows her after all." Naruto shrugged.

"Jiraiya is still away on business, I don't even think he knows about the exams or that Sayuri is taking them." Kakashi reminded the blonde.

"Well, let's just hope Anko doesn't train her, living together is one thing…" Genma muttered into his drink. Kakashi chuckled and took a blindingly quick drink of his sake before anyone could see his face. As the liquid made its way down his throat he choked when something caught his attention. He let out a series of coughs, trying to get the air back. "What's up with you Kakashi?" Genma grinned, still unable to speak, Kakashi pointed towards the bar. Genma glanced over and spat out his drink as he saw what caused Kakashi to choke. There sitting at the bar was not only Sayuri but Anko. Anko held a drink in her hand and was slowly swirling the contents while smirking at the four ninja, two of whom had either choked or spat out their drinks when they spotted her. Slowly Anko got up from her seat and went to the table. "Hello boys, miss me already?" she asked with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked in a strained voice.

"I was on my way back from a mission and I thought I'd stop by to see how the exams were going. " she explained before draining her glass in one go. "I'll be back in a month to watch the final fights." she grinned, after giving them a wink she left the bar. Kakashi glanced up to see Sayuri talking brightly to a Sand chunin. Unlike the time he saw her talking to Kenji she seemed a lot more relaxed and the chunin male seemed a lot more nicer. "What's the matter Genma? Jealous?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, noticing Genma glaring daggers at the man talking to Sayuri. "You know a lot about jealousy Sasuke, so why don't you tell me." Genma muttered watching as Sayuri inched closer to the chunin and lifted her hands to his face, softly she brushed her fingertips along his cheeks, forehead and down the bridge of his nose before they skipped across his slightly parted lips. Kakashi noted how Sayuri smiled gently and pulled her hands away to get her drink again. The chunin had a light blush on his cheeks but looked a little confused as she continued to speak to him. He couldn't see her properly but he could however read the chunin's lips as he no doubt repeated what she'd just said 'you're blind?' he watched as Sayuri turned a little more to face him and smiled before nodding. After finishing her drink, she placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly kissed his cheek before leaving the bar. When Kakashi returned to his room later that evening he found Sayuri sitting on the bed holding two bottles in her hand. "Something…wrong?" he asked, watching as she seemed to break out of her trance. Slowly she swallowed and bit her inside cheek. "Which of these is the shampoo?" she asked, her voice no more than a whisper. Kakashi stood perfectly still and watched her. Her head that was normally held so high was lowered, a curtain of scarlet hiding more of her features but he could see her chewing her bottom lip. Her usually straight back was hunched as her thumbs lightly made circles against the plastic bottles. She kept fidgeting with her feet. "I would…appreciate it if you told me…" she added. She was asking for help. For once she was being vulnerable.

"Um the apple scented one is shampoo…" he informed her. Sayuri cleared her throat and stood.

"Thanks…" she said and moved to pass him only to stop when Kakashi held her shoulder, stopping her.

"You shouldn't feel ashamed for asking for help Sayuri." he told her.

"You don't know what you're talking about…none of you know what it's like. Can you even imagine…" she began, her voice cracking. "for one second how humiliating it is to have to ask someone to tell you what the fucking shampoo is and what the conditioner is? To have someone actually pick out your clothes like you're a child! For someone to watch you struggle with the simplest things like make a cup of tea!" she listed off before setting the bottles on the bed sharply and grabbing his hand that held his beloved Icha-Icha. "And reading!" she demanded, the tears flowing down her face. "Do you have ANY idea how much I miss being able to read! I hold a book like this and nothing! No words, no plot, no imagining and getting caught up in the characters and the words. All I feel is just blank paper. Thirteen years…" she choked out. "and do you know what makes this lonely hell so much worse? The fact that a man like you who shares the same headband as me looks down on me and sees me as a weak person, not fit to be a ninja without even giving me a chance. Who sees me as how an enemy would see me…that's one of the worse parts of it. Even Kosuke, the man I loathe saw me as someone with potential and actually needed my abilities, so why can't you?" she asked before grabbing the bottles again and heading to the bathroom and closing it behind her. Kakashi's visible gaze looked down to his slightly raised hand and stared at the orange cover. He couldn't imagine thirteen years without reading…let alone thirteen years without Icha-Icha. He looked back to the bathroom door before he sat on the bed. With a thoughtful frown he closed his eyes and felt the book before opening it. He could feel the pages but not the words. With a small sigh he opened his eyes and stared at the story with his visible one…he couldn't even keep his eyes closed for thirteen seconds.

He had been lying in bed when the bathroom door slowly opened. Sayuri walked towards the bed and stopped. "Why aren't you on your side?" she asked. Kakashi looked up from his book, this time he'd given up 'his side' and shrugged. "It's warmer tonight so I'd rather sleep on the side closer to the open window…" he said in an offhand tone, looking as the woman as she slowly smiled.

"And does letting me sleep on this side come at a price?" she asked sitting down on top of the covers, already dried and dressed for bed.

"Some information…if you don't like people knowing you're blind. Why did you tell that chunin this evening?"

"You can't exactly fondle a man's face if you can see what he looks like. I told him I could tell a lot about a person just by feeling their face and then I told him I was blind." she shrugged, pulling one of her legs to her chest and laying her cheek against her knee. "Besides I'm okay with someone knowing if I tell them. It works in my favour for the enemy to know my little secret." she grinned.

"Enemy?"

"That chunin will no doubt tell someone and word will spread. Those I may fight in the tournament know and immediately underestimate me." she shrugged. "Simple psychology."

Kakashi let out a small chuckle. It was simple but effective…if word spread that was. "So can you?" he asked.

"Can I what?"

"Tell a lot about a person by feeling their face?" he watched her smile. It was a beautiful smile, he had to admit.

"Most of the time… why are you interested?"

"Perhaps…" he said watching as she shifted and moved a little closer to him. His head band was already taken off and even in the heat, he kept his mask on. Softly her fingertips ghosted over his skin, starting at the uncovered part of his nose and slid up to his forehead and softly brushed his silver hair away to slowly slide her fingers down the side of his head. Stopping at his mask. He was ready to grab her wrist in case she pulled the cloth down but instead continued to feel his face over the material. Her fingertips seemed to caress his lips and then move across his jaw. Finally her hands moved up and felt over his eyes, two fingers touched on the scar and then settled on her lap. "Well?" he asked.

"You're stressed. You don't like people getting too close and that's why you wear that mask and speak with such indifference and calmness. You do that as a way to seem detached but that makes you mysterious and draws people to you. A total rule follower and what some could see as a tightass, but something's made you loosen that way of thinking. You treasure that eye more than anything. You're a good man and very handsome if I might add." she smiled thoughtfully. Kakashi blinked at her. She could tell all of that from feeling his face.

"How did you-?"

"I may not be able to read books anymore but I've gotten very good and reading people." Sayuri said before brushing the hair from her face and lay down. Kakashi watched her silently and smirked.

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked, only to be lightly hit on his chest.

"And you're narcissistic…" Sayuri said with her pale face now tinted with a soft pink on her cheeks. "..but yes. Although I am blind so I may be wrong." her offhand statement gained a small laugh from the man next to her.

Naruto and Sasuke panted tiredly, ready to collapse after the harsh training Kakashi had put them through. The tournament was in two days, the month had seemed to fly by and things got more and more hectic as foreign leaders came along with the feudal lords along with ninja from other countries excited about getting to watch the battles. Sayuri had been seen very little of during the twenty-eight days so far. Kakashi would return from training to see her collapsed on the sofa or sprawled out on the bed obviously drained of chakra and energy. But the sightings were still very small. She'd been gone for two weeks now and they didn't know where she was. "Wh-why are we training so hard?" Naruto panted.

"Because you're only doing these exams to gain the next title. I'm sure you two will be applying for the jounin exams as soon as you can. You two still need to train hard." Kakashi told them, he really wanted to train them some more before they headed back into the village. They were ready, he knew that and would let them rest and enjoy the festivities for the last two days before the tournament. Genma lounged with a wide gin under the tree Yamato had created for shade in the middle of the desert plains. Yamato looked to the grinning senbon user. "You seem a lot more happier than usual. Has the sun gotten to you?" he asked.

"Nah, nothing like that. " Genma chuckled.

"It's a woman then…" Yamato deduced, the grin on the fellow ninja's that grew told him he was right. With a roll of his eyes, Yamato dropped the topic and went back to watching the training.

Tsunade walked towards Gaara at their private spectator level. Genma and Kakashi standing on either side of Shizune. Baki and Kankuro stood on either side of Gaara's seat. The blonde tugged at the robe that she had to wear for events like these. She was thankful for the wide rimmed hat though as it blocked out the glaring sun. "Looks like we'll finally see if it was right to allow her to become a ninja…" Tsunade said looking down at the row of ten ninja on the fighting terrain below. Her brown gaze fixed to Sayuri; Kakashi noted that she had changed her clothing slightly, her top was a deep sapphire blue that remained off the shoulder and had longer sleeves. Her black boots were no longer open toed and had a slightly higher heel. Her skirt was a smoky grey and a little longer but still kept the slit up the sides to show her bandaged thighs and leaf headband. The copy ninja looked to Sora who was smirking. Temari looked up to Gaara who nodded. "Okay everyone! The final exam has begun. Go to the waiting area to watch the match. Sayuri, Sora, get ready." she ordered. Everyone watched as Sayuri pulled back her sleeve and put her hand out. "Good luck, Sora." she said. The crowd watched as Sora roughly slapped her hand away.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're blind." he sneered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How did word get out?" Kankuro asked.

"Sayuri purposefully let it slip in hopes that word would spread and Sora would hear, causing him to underestimate her." Kakashi spoke up. Sayuri however didn't respond and lowered her hand before shifting her weight to each foot. Temari bit her lip before clearing her throat. "Ready…begin!" she announced. Sora immediately launched into an attack, Sayuri jumped back and prepared to defend, lifting her hidden hands and arms to block the attacks. Sora lifted his hands, threw her arms out of the way and shot a fist and foot at her chest. Sayuri shot backwards, slamming loudly against the arena wall before falling to her knees, coughing and gasping for breath. Sora shot to her side and grabbed her hair before slamming her against the wall, piercing her bare shoulders with kunai to hold her in place. "There's no way a weak woman like you, could ever beat me. It wouldn't even matter if you had your sight or not." he hissed before pulling out a medium length sword from its sheath on his back and rammed it into her stomach as far as it could go. Sayuri gasped out, blood pouring down her mouth and from her wounds. Slowly, he twisted the blade, grinning as she screamed out in pain. Genma and Kakashi exchanged glances, this boy was brutal. "SAYURI! FIGHT!" Naruto's voice bellowed from the waiting area. Sayuri's laboured breathing became sharper. "J-ju…just…" she panted out.

"Just what? Just…finish you off?" Sora asked with a laugh.

The crowd watched tensely as Sayuri lifted her head and grinned. "Just kidding!" she laughed, her body disappearing. Before Sora could turn around, Sayuri appeared behind him and leapt, sending her foot sharply against the side of his head, the cloud ninja grunted and was sent across the arena, tumbling to the ground. Angrily Sora got to his feet and roughly wiped the trickling blood from his cheek. "You fucking bitch." he snarled only to get more angry as Sayuri hadn't moved from where she landed and made motion for Sora to come to her. "Come on babe, I told you I liked it rough. It would be the gentlemanly thing to give the lady what she wants." she purred at him sweetly. Sora let out a large roar of anger and charged towards her. Sayuri leapt out of his way and pulled out a kunai to block the sword he had ripped from the wall and brought it down. "I will kill you…" Sora threatened.

"Temper, temper…" Sayuri scolded leaping and back flipping away.

"Why are you running?" Sora asked looking down to see explosive tags. "SHIT!" He yelled and jumped back to avoid the explosions just in time. Dust, rock and dirt flew everywhere causing people to shield their eyes. When the dust cleared, Sora looked to see Sayuri with her sleeves in someway joined as she made hand-signs, hidden from his view. He cursed again and shot towards her, hoping to stop her from using what ever jutsu she was trying to use on him. As he neared her, she swung his sword. Warm blood splattered onto his face and hand. Sayuri tumbled to the ground and held her slashed forearm. She winced in pain and continued to put pressure on her wound. The crowd watched Sora as he stood where he was and blinked furiously and turned around. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" He all but screamed in a panicked yell beginning to madly and wildly slice and attack the air around him.

"What's happened? What jutsu did she use?" Genma breathed. Kakashi hadn't lifted his headband but with the sleeves hiding her hands he doubted he would have been able to tell.

"I don't know…" he said just as curious and stunned as the others on the private spectators level.

"Sora, what's wrong?" the voice of his jounin teacher called out, sounding angry rather than concerned.

"I…I can't see a thing! This fucking bitch has taken my sight!" Sora shouted making the crowd gasp, the genin waiting for their turn along with the ninja in the crowd were frozen and wide eyed. Sayuri hissed and got to her feet.

"I haven't taken your sight…I've just stopped it for a while. I'd never intentionally remove someone's senses…not even yours." Sayuri said, rolling her shoulder, beginning to feel the pain dull slightly as the wound stopped bleeding. "Fight Sora, if a woman like her can do it, so can you." Sora's teacher called.

"I don't know where she is!" Sora growled out, still swinging his sword only to tense as a hand gripped his wrist, halting the sword. He felt lips at his ear. "I'm right here." she whispered before disappearing as he spun around to try and attack. Sayuri ran towards him and sent a kick to his side, before she grabbed his hair and bent him over so she could deliver a swift knee to his forehead. As he fell backwards, momentarily disorientated and stunned, he felt a hand grab his wrist, his arm held out horizontally. Sayuri's heel was brought swiftly down into the crook of his arm and then she kicked his elbow to dislocate it and pop it back into place, giving him immense pain and keeping his ability to move the arm.

"Tsunade-sama…" Kakashi began slowly watching with great interest and amazement. "…I think we've been seriously proved wrong." he said, only getting a slow nod in response. Sora blinked through the pain, his sight slowly coming back. His furious gaze landed on Sayuri who was a few yards away from him. This fight was only just getting started.


	13. Chapter 13

Sayuri stood in the defensive position, legs bent and arms raised in front of her chest. Now that the jutsu wore off and Sora had gotten his sight back, she knew he'd be even more violent and angry. "You should forfeit…" Sayuri told him. "…I mean you keep making these big accusations like you're going to kill me but from where I'm standing the person being beaten here is you." she said softly. Sora shook with anger, his teeth clamped so tightly together that small cracks could be heard.

"Go to hell!" he snarled. "What about you? You said you knew my weakness. Prove it!" he yelled charging at her with increased speed.

"You want me to use your weakness against you?"

"No, I want you to prove that you know what my weakness is and to stop your bullshitting!" he growled, kicking her sharply in the shoulder and punching her in the face at the same time. Sayuri gave a yelp of pain, and slammed back against the wall. "If you knew my weakness you would have abused that knowledge from the start of the match." Sora sneered grabbing her by the throat, blocking any air from getting into her lungs. "But you see here's the thing. I don't have any weaknesses." he grinned throwing her up like a rag doll, as she fell towards the ground, he brought his knee up to connect with her back. Sayuri's mouth shot up and her face contorted into a silent scream. Her body slid off his knee and collapsed onto the ground. Sora chuckled and held is sword above her. He watched as she tried to push herself up but could only use her elbows to push some of her upper body up. "I win." Sora grinned, releasing the sword and watched as it plunged downwards. His eyes widened as his sword appeared to dissolve. He looked to Sayuri. Her hands were together from under the sleeves.

"Ninja-art…Forest of dreams…jutsu." she panted out before she dissolved too. Sora looked around as the ground began to shake underneath him. Cracks appeared along the edger of the arena terrain. Sora leapt back into the middle and watched as from the earth, things began to rise and twist. When the shaking stopped Sora looked to see that the things coming from the ground were trees but they were odd. Their barks were a deep plum and the leaves where lavender. What type of jutsu was this? A violet mist slowly began to form and covered the arena floor, coming to Sora's knee in height.

"What the hell is this?" he shouted, looking around for Sayuri.

Kakashi watched with his visible eye wide before he looked to Tsunade. "No one but Yamato should know wood element jutsu." he told her. Tsunade bit her lip and looked to see Yamato appear next to her. He had been watching in the stands and now stood next to Tsunade's chair.

"Can you explain this?" Shizune asked him.

"She should know wood element jutsu…but those trees look abnormal and I don't mean their colour. My only guess is that it's a genjutsu or those trees are made of something other than wood." he said before looking down at the arena, Sora looked unsteady on his feet now. "Although where is Sayuri?" he pondered. Down in the arena, Sora was acting strangely. The ninja was now grinning happily and sitting on the ground. His eyes were closed and he swayed back and forth humming and talking happily to himself. He lifted his hands to the side making it look like he was holding hands with people on either side of him that no one could see. Sora fell back and landed on the ground, covered by the mist that slowly began to dissipate while the strange trees fell back into the earth, leaving a small mounds of upturned dirt around the arena where the trees had come out. Sayuri was lying exactly where she had been before she had disappeared and to everyone's shock Sora's sword was in her lower back but had completely missed her spine. Had she rolled away when he dropped it, it would have just scratched her. She gritted her teeth and pulled her hand back, wiping some of her blood from the sword onto her thumb. Pushing herself up onto her knees Sayuri made hand-signs and placed her hand on the ground. Temari who had been inspecting Sora to see if he was fit enough to battle looked up to see a black panther appear through the smoke. The animal moved to Sayuri's back and bit the blade. With a growl he ripped the blade from her body gaining a pained, exhausted yell from Sayuri and let the weapon fly across the arena. Slowly the large cat circled to her front and lay it's paw on her stomach where the tip of the sword had exited when she was stabbed by it. "Thank you…" Sayuri whispered shakily getting to her feet and the panther bowed his head and disappeared.

"The winner of the first fight; Sayuri Kurosawa." Temari called out since it was clear that Sora was not getting up anytime soon. Sayuri let out an exhausted smile as the crowd cheered and applauded while she shakily and slowly made her way towards the staircase to the waiting area. One of the medics that had gone to retrieve Sora stopped her. "Miss would you like to come with us?" he asked.

"No it's fine. I'll just sit down for a while with the others. Thanks though." she said before walking up the stairs to the waiting platform. Naruto was on his way down for his match and grinned, hugging Sayuri lightly.

"You were awesome!" he grinned.

"Thanks Naruto, go and win you match." she smiled wincing when he put his hand on her shoulders before he went to the arena floor to fight. Sayuri sat down on the floor with her back to the platform railing.

"Is that how you would Naruto and I?" Sasuke asked, sitting next to her but facing the railing to watch Naruto's fight. "In the second exam, before the mist ninja impersonating us turned up we heard growling…was that a panther you sent?" he asked, glancing to see Sayuri smirk.

"I sent him to keep an eye on you. He wouldn't interfere if you were attacked…unless it was serious and life threatening." she told him.

"So what did it do to you…?" Sasuke asked.

"Healed the stab wound and my back."

"Why didn't it heal all of your injuries?"

"It wouldn't do me any good to have all of my bruises and scratches healed each time I got them. They may hurt like a bitch but they'll heal. Besides Renzo prefers fighting rather than healing. If he isn't summoned to fight then his visits are kept short." before hearing a large explosion and felt bursts of chakra.

"So what was Sora's weakness?" Sasuke asked.

"Genjutsu was his weakest aspect of ninja abilities." Sayuri told him with a smile.

"Then why didn't you just use a genjutsu at the start of the match and defeat him quickly? It would have saved a lot of your chakra and stopped you from getting hurt." The Uchiha asked with a frown, watching as Sayuri titled her head back towards the ceiling.

"Because I had to prove to not only Sora but the Hokage, the Kazekage, the leaf ninja and myself that I can still go up against an opponent and fight. Casting one genjutsu would have been easiest but it wouldn't have been enough." she said before laughing. "Besides where is the fun in ending a match in one move? It was a fun battle and I got through it which is the important things." she said before smirking. "Sakura's in the crowd you know…" she mused, sensing the Uchiha tense.

"No she isn't… she had a mission according to Yamato." he muttered, gaining a sharp laugh from the woman next to him.

"Well she's here now. She should next to Ino…" Sasuke frowned at her and looked back to the crowds, scanning them slowly and sure enough he caught sight of light pink hair. "…did the blind girl get something right?" Sayuri's voice floated to him even when trying to sound innocent the smug tone of her voice couldn't be hidden or on the wide grin on her face.

"Shut up…." Sasuke muttered looking down at the multitude of shadow clones charging at the opponent in the terrain below.

"Ask her out or I'll do it for you." she grinned making Sasuke look at her in shock.

"You'll what?"

"I'll get up, and scream at that girl from over here that you want to go out with her after this exam is over." Sayuri said, getting onto her knees and got to her feet. She placed her hands on the railing and took a deep breath, ready to scream at the top of her lungs. Sasuke shot up, clamped and hand over the young woman's mouth and tore her away from the railing. "Fine, fine I'll ask her myself!" he hissed at her. He moved his hand away to see her smirking at him. "I'm holding you to that promise Sasuke. " Sayuri grinned before turning her head towards the balcony as cheers broke out followed by Temari's voice. "The winner of the second match: Naruto Uzumaki." Sayuri grinned and moved back to sit by the railings as the fights progressed. Now it was the second round, meaning Sayuri and Naruto had to fight. Kakashi looked up as the blonde and red-head made their way towards the centre. "Wonder who will win this one…" he mused..

"Sayuri has used a lot of her chakra, Naruto's barely used any plus he hasn't been injured save for a few scratches and bruises. Plus Naruto has insane stamina and the fox's chakra. I don't think there is any way Sayuri will win against him." Tsunade reasoned. It was true. It didn't look good for Sayuri but he was certain she was going to pass even if she lost. Sayuri flicked her hair back and smiled in the direction of the grinning male. Temari looked to the two. "Ready, fight!" she called, leaping back as Sayuri shot forward, she leapt and twisted in the air, one leg bent and the other straight, she brought her heel sharply to the side of Naruto's neck sending him crashing to the ground. The move reminded Sasuke of his 'Lion's Barrage' that he had created during the preliminary of the chunin exam in Leaf all those years ago. Naruto spat the dirt from his mouth and grinned at Sayuri while on his hands and knees. He charged at her as she rushed towards him. Naruto pulled back a fist, ready to strike when Sayuri suddenly arched her back and sent her legs up into a handstand. Her feet kicked his fist upwards and locked around his waist. She pushed back and arched again, sending Naruto head first to the ground. The pair rolled to the ground, Sayuri sitting on top of the blonde as he lay face down on the ground again. Before he got up, Sayuri jumped off of him and gained some distance. Naruto leapt up onto his feet. She was fast, flexible and good at using his weight and strength against him. Smirking he made a handsign, creating a large swarm of shadow clones. He spread them all out to surround her. He watched as Sayuri dug her feet into the ground, turning some of the earth up and grinned. Slowly she reached into her holster strapped onto her right leg and pulled out two shuriken. Taking one in each hand she threw them at opposite ends of the circle. The clones watched as the spinning metal twisted and headed to the same target, one Naruto just outside of the group. The clones couldn't help but grin, their grin faltered when they looked back to see Sayuri was no longer in the circle of Naruto's. A flash of red and a kick to the stomach, Sayuri had hit the real Naruto who was doubled over her leg and the other Naruto's disappeared.

"She found the real Naruto…" Yamato breathed looking to Kakashi who slowly nodded, not quite believing it either. Naruto drew out his kunai and sliced it at Sayuri who although had leapt back to avoid it got scratched below her collar bone. Grinning, Naruto shot forward, with his kunai causing Sayuri take the defensive and keep jumping back. "Rasengan!" two voices shouted from above. Sayuri tensed as the shadow of the two clones sailed down prepared to use the attack on her. Sayuri managed to dodge it but had been caught on the leg with it as she stepped back. The swirling mass of chakra hit the ground beneath her feet. The clones disappeared and Sayuri was thrown into the air and crashed loudly to the ground, bouncing off the earth from the impact and back down again. Wincing, Sayuri shakily sat back against the arena wall, breathing laboured and pained. If the pain she felt in her leg was from just grazing that jutsu she was extremely thankful that it didn't hit her directly. Swallowing she sensed Naruto charging at her again with a few more of his clones. Not wasting anymore time, she brought her less injured arm to the other cradled against her chest and made hand-signs, hiding them from view. "Black Swamp jutsu." she grunted. The earth under Naruto's feet began to change and surge, the light brown turned black and slick, causing him to lose his footing and fall onto one of his knees. The black substance spread through the arena, forcing Temari to take to the skies, not wanting to be touched by the unknown substance. Naruto slowly and unsteadily got to his feet, trying to keep steady while his clones disappeared. He tried to walk but the thick matter under him was heavy and it seemed impossible to move in. It was wet, cold and smelled horrible and at the minute he was ankle deep in it. Suddenly Naruto was hit with an idea. If he could walk on water, he could walk on…water ever this gunk was. He slapped his hands together and focussed chakra to the bottom of his feet. Suddenly he felt himself fall a little lower into the sludge. "Wh-what the hell?" he demanded, tugging on his leg to try and pull his foot to the surface but it didn't work. The smell of the dark stuff under him-he couldn't place it as a liquid or a solid- was getting to him. Naruto put his hands together and created a mass of shadow clones, causing him to sink more and more. When the clones appeared he was down to his knees. The clones made a chain and held on to the one in front of them as the first one grabbed Naruto's hands and began to pull. The sound of the clones falling, yelling and disappearing made Sayuri laugh. Only one clone remained and began to create the rasengan again which only pulled Naruto in deeper, now up to his waist as both the swirling chakra and clone disappeared as he sank. Slowly, Sayuri strained to get back on her feet. The pain was getting worse on her leg along with the injuries she'd gotten from her fight with Sora. While the rest through the fights had helped, the strain of hitting Naruto and fighting him had brought it back tenfold. Slowly she hobbled over to the blonde struggling more and more in the swamp. She reached him and grabbed his hand. With ease she took a few steps back and pulled him out before making a hand-sign and releasing the jutsu, the black sludge seeping into the ground, leaving the dirt wet and mucky. "I forfeit." she announced making everyone stare at her with wide eyes. "W-why? You had me…I couldn't get out of that…that-" Naruto panted, feeling drained and tired.

"Swamp…" Sayuri told him before explaining. "While you may have been caught and while that swamp fed on your chakra I can't fight anymore with my injuries. I'm barely standing and unlike you I don't have a second reserve of chakra…which had you been left in the swamp any longer would have come out and that wouldn't have been good for me. " Sayuri smiled before grinning. "Besides, I want you and Sasuke to come first and second in this tournament."

Temari landed on the ground and placed her closed fan onto her back again. "The winner: Naruto Uzumaki." she called out. Grinning, Naruto rolled onto his back as applause and cheers built up again. The medics came out and approached Sayuri. "I'll take that healing now." she told them with a smile, limping with them to the medical ward in the building. Naruto got to his feet and stretched before heading to the waiting platform with the remaining ninja.

"Looks like I'll have to fight her a different time…" Sasuke mused to the blonde who grinned as his friend went to fight again.

Sayuri felt the warm, soothing chakra flow into her shoulder. "You should have let us heal you after your first fight. Your shoulder is…" the medic tried to scold her but cut off with annoyed sigh. There was no point in even finishing that sentence. Sayuri sat in silence as she listened to the fights going on outside. She let out a tired yawn as her injuries began to heal and the exhaustion took over. Before she completely passed out, she shifted to lay down on the bed and fell asleep while the medics continued with healing her.

Sakura cheered out happily as she ran to Sasuke and Naruto, throwing her arms around both of them. "You both passed!" she sang out only t pull back and frown at them. "But there was no need to fight so intensely." she chastised them.

"It was a great battle to end the exams though…" Temari laughed. "You both tied which is good. And Sayuri passed too along with the Sand ninja and the other leaf ninja." she smirked.

"Speaking of Sayuri where did she go?" Naruto asked looking around as he placed his arm happily around Hinata who had also come to watch the final fights.

"She wanted to change out of her dirty clothes, she'll meet us at the bar to celebrate." Sasuke said standing a little closer to Sakura as they walked away from the arena.

In the bar they all sat down at the largest and longest table at the bar before they went to order the first round of drinks Sayuri approached the table and sat down on the chair next to Genma with a bright smile. "The last of our new chunin arrives." Tsunade smirked causing Sayuri to smile warmly. Sai sat next to Ino from the other side of the table stared at her silently. "I haven't met you before." Sayuri smiled turning her head towards him. Sai had been on a constant string of missions since Sayuri had joined the Leaf so it was normal that they hadn't been introduced. Slowly she reached her hand across the table. "I'm Sayuri." she smiled, slowly Sai let his hand meet hers.

"Sai." he replied.

"You're an artist aren't you? Your fingers have something on them…chalk…pastel?" she guessed, brushing her thumb softly against his fingertips before she released his hand.

"Charcoal today…" the normally expressionless Root member answered, slightly taken by her smile. Sayuri grinned and settled back in her chair that was touching Genma's and lay her back softly against the senbon chewer's side, her head on his shoulder while his arm draped over hers. Sayuri crossed her legs, lightly tucking one foot behind the other. The others noticed the closeness between the two and looked to each other. Sayuri was smiling contently while Genma grinned ecstatically. Yamato approached the table was a lot of bottles of sake while Anko approached with the glasses. The wood element user stared at the two.

"Is Sayuri the woman you were grinning about the other day?" he demanded.

"You were talking about me?" Sayuri asked Genma with a small arch of her eyebrows. Genma laughed out.

"No, I was grinning, they figured out it was because of a woman Had they asked I would have said. " he shrugged leaning forward and taking a bottle and few glasses to hand out at his end of the table.

"You have heard of Genma's reputation haven't you Sayuri…?" Naruto asked.

"Course I have. He's a guy who likes the company of women. I'm not looking for anything serious." Sayuri smiled before the two laughed.

"So…what's the arrangement?" Sakura asked with a frown.

"Normal couple I guess but we'll split if Genma has been with any other woman…or women. He get's five chances." Sayuri explained casually, hearing a choke and someone spit out their drink.

"Five?"

"Sure…I know the type of man he is and I know he likes to have fun. I'm not going to force him to change his ways just for my sake. But I'm not going to let him completely screw me over." Sayuri explained taking a sip of sake.

"That makes sense I guess." Tsunade said throwing back some of her sake. "Well enough of that. Here's to these kids passing the chunin exams and also…a very big apology to the best blind ninja there is." the blonde grinned, raising her glass into the air. Everyone grinned and lifted they glasses together in the toast and drank. Kakashi stared at Sayuri and Genma silently. She had proved herself to be a good ninja and even showed she could go up against Naruto in a fight that had impressed him and stunned him at the same time. He had been just as shocked as the others when they saw her sit intimately close with Genma with a radiant smile on her face. It was a first that Genma was actually in a relationship…but he was probably more willing because he was given five chances before it would end. However something in the back of his mind came to him 'But with a woman like Sayuri maybe he won't be so quick to seek out another woman…let alone five.' The masked ninja took a swift drink of his sake, trying to silence his thoughts with alcohol. The silver haired ninja let his visible eye land on Sayuri who was talking happily to Hinata to sat next to her. He looked at Genma's free hand lightly trace patterns on the scarlet woman's pale smooth skin. Something seemed to flare in him…annoyance, irritation…jealousy? It all seemed ridiculous. Why would he be jealous? Because Sayuri was actually in a relationship with Genma? No that couldn't be it. He throw back more sake. He would never admit it because the image had only entered his mind briefly and swiftly left again…but for the briefest of moments he pictured himself being the one that was that close to her and touching her smooth white skin.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, Kakashi silently thanked the blonde for speaking to him and breaking him from his thoughts. "Yes Naruto?"

"If Sayuri was part of our team for these exams…is she going to be a part of our team from now on?" Kakashi paused… he hadn't thought about it and looked to Tsunade it would be up to her after all.

"Hmm, well groups for missions change depending on the mission, its rank and the abilities needed for ultimate success…but maybe for training she can join up with you." Tsunade pondered before taking a long drink of sake.

"I'll be happy with anything." Sayuri spoke up with a smile before returning to her conversation with Hinata.

"We'll talk more when we're back home." Tsunade said with a lazy wave of her hand, too busy wanting to enjoy her alcohol and day off from actual Hokage duties. The ninja drank plenty long into the night, laughing and talking about past missions. Anko slammed her hand drunkenly down onto the table and pointed an accusing finger at Sayuri.

"So Sayuri…if you can fight like…like you did today…wh-why didin' you just…you know kick them bashturds tah shit…in that…in that inn of yours?" she slurred.

"Cause I couldn't. Practically no chakra and constant beatings meant no fighting." Sayuri shrugged with a giggle. She wasn't as drunk as some of those at the table but it seemed she was a giggly, happy drunk. "BUT! It's in the past now and if I meet any of those groping beating bastards again I will kill them slowly." she laughed happily taking a drink of her sake while her elbow propped itself onto Genma's shoulder and her fingers lightly played with his hair. At some point in the evening she had Genma's headband on her head and his senbon in her mouth in some way impersonating him. Again Kakashi found himself wishing to be in Genma's position, wanting to feel her hand in his hair. With a silent sigh he downed his drink trying to shut out his thoughts again. "HEY!" Sayuri suddenly shouted, pointing her glass at Sasuke, her hand holding the glass loosened slightly so she could point at Sasuke.

"Do it." she ordered. Sasuke, was one of the more sober of the group tensed, knowing what Sayuri was talking about. "Do. It." she repeated sternly. "You promised…" she began feeling Sasuke's hesitation. The Uchiha watched as her lower lip jutted out into a devastating pout that made him feel his resolve slowly cracking. He didn't want to ask Sakura out in front of his drunk and tipsy peers. "…are you going to back out of a promise to a blind woman?" she demanded.

"You're using the blind card?" Sasuke demanded.

"Of course! And the honour card. You will lose your honour as a man and my respect if you don't follow through. By my reckoning you've delayed your promise by hours!" she smirked at him before throwing back her sake. "So. Do. It. Now…boy." Boy? Sasuke snapped his gaze to her angrily. She know how to persuade anyone. Sasuke turned to look at Sakura, the alcohol had already tinged his cheeks a light pink but now he was blushing.

"I didn't want to ask this in front of all the people we know who are drunk…but Sakura…would you…" he trailed off with a low grumble. Sakura had heard him finish and was about to answer when Sayuri belted out. "LOUDER!"

"Sakura would you like to…um g-go"

"STOP MUMBLING AND STUTTERING." Sayuri ordered.

"SAKURA WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME WHEN WE GET BACK TO KONOHA?" Sasuke shouted although not as loudly as Sayuri before he glared furiously at the blind ninja. "HAPPY?" He demanded.

"Aww he's so adorable! I wish I could see his little blush on his little face!" Sayuri cooed happily, completely ignoring the Uchiha making everyone laugh. Sakura giggled and moved closer to Sasuke, sitting just as close as Sayuri was to Genma. "I'd love to." she grinned.

By the end of the evening, not many of the ninja were left standing. Naruto had a sleeping, drunk Hinata affectionately in his arms. The Kyuubi container seemed the less affected by all of the sake consumed. Sasuke was left holding Sakura steady, the medic was able to walk as long as she had help. Anko clapped Genma hard on the back. "C'moooooon lover boy. You have the key to the room. Letsh gooo already!" she grinned, close to falling to the floor but managed to right herself in time. Genma drunkenly tried to roll his eyes and kept his arms around Sayuri's waist as they stood swaying in the streets of Suna. "I will shee you…in the very late afternoon tomorrow." Genma grinned. Sayuri tilted her head back and giggled.

"I will be there…but I won't actually see you." she grinned before they laughed. The two slowly kissed, even drunk they could still achieve that sort of passion. Roughly Anko grabbed Genma's shirt and yanked him away causing Sayuri to fall back. The only one there to catch her was Kakashi. His hands caught her shoulders and watched as Sayuri's leg kicked into the air. The action caused her black skirt to slide up her thigh slowly. Kakashi being a man, couldn't help but look and smirk. Sayuri continued to laugh as Kakashi pulled her up to stand. "Are you okay to walk on your own?" she asked, not letting go of her shoulders. Sayuri grinned and laughed. "Am not all that stable when am sober." she slurred out with a laugh, managing to trip while standing still. Kakashi sighed and chuckled at her. She was an adorable drunk. Gently he lifted her and draped her over his shoulder before making his way to the Kazekage building to get some sleep. "Is…so…weird!" he heard Sayuri gasp breathlessly.

"What is?"

"I can feel myself moving…but my feet aren't on the ground…." she giggled.

"That's because I'm carrying you."

"Oh you are? How lovely!" Kakashi chuckled again at the woman. When he reached the room he unlocked the door and stepped in and kicked the door shut as he headed towards the bedroom. Softly he lay Sayuri down on the bed. He removed her shoes and pulled the covers over her. She'd fallen asleep on the way back and now a soft, content smile shaped her parted lips. Again, Kakashi couldn't help but be jealous of his senbon chewing friend and wish that he had gotten to kiss the woman who was sleeping peacefully in front of him. Sighing Kakashi got up and changed for bed. A part of him secretly hoped for Genma to fall prey to women as quickly as he always did so Sayuri would no longer be his. A thought crept into the copy ninja's head as he settled down under the covers and this time he didn't try to push it out of his mind. If Sayuri and Genma did break up which they no doubt would since Genma had little restraint when it came to women…what if the next man she should be with was him?


	14. Chapter 14

Kakashi let out a tired groan when he awoke the next day. He shifted and slowly rolled over, pressing his face into the pillows. He wanted to sleep a little longer and tried to block out all form of light. The gentle, comforting warmth radiated into him. Slowly he curled up closer into the covers and hugged one of the pillows against him. As he began to drift off to sleep again, the pillow in his arms moved and let out a low soft sigh. His eyes shot open and he lifted his head to see he had his arm around Sayuri, not a pillow and had her held against him. The woman's back was against his front but she was turned slightly so that her head fell to the side against his shoulder. A soft dreamy smile was on her lips as she slept, oblivious to the fact that she was so close to the silver haired ninja. Kakashi swallowed and slowly thought of what he could do before she woke up. As much as he liked their closeness, he highly doubted Sayuri would appreciate their position. He slowly reached back and prepared to substitute himself with one of the pillows. However he tensed when Sayuri let out a low moan and rolled over, settling her arm and head on his chest, forcing him to stay where he was. He was tense and couldn't relax and couldn't go back to sleep since he was now wide awake. He glanced down at her and tensed, with the way she had moved and was no pressed against him, the straps of her tank top and slipped down and he was getting a pretty good look at the woman's cleavage which was thankfully covered by a strapless black bra. Kakashi gently placed his hand on her shoulder and lightly pushed, sighing as she fell back onto her back. He was about to get out of the bed but paused. The bottom of her top had ridden up and on her stomach was a pale red paw mark that resembled some sort of a burn. However it didn't raise itself off her skin or look inflamed. He frowned slightly and remembered that during her fight she'd summoned a panther that placed its paw there. He was curious but didn't want to ask. Sighing he climbed out of the bed and headed into the bathroom for a shower. When he came out of the shower Sayuri was half lying on the bed while her upper half was twisted so her hands could feel under the bed. "Shit shit shit!" she whined before sliding completely under the bed entirely.

"Are you…okay?" Kakashi asked, rubbing his hair with a towel. A large bang and a pained groan sounded sharply. It seemed she had been so caught up in whatever she was doing that she hadn't heard or sensed him come out of the shower. He watched as a mass of wavy scarlet hair popped up from the other side of the bed. Slowly she rubbed her head and got to her feet. "I can't find it." she muttered.

"Find what?"

"My headband…" she groaned, feeling the windowsill for it. Kakashi blinked and spotted her headband on the small table next to the bed. "It's right there." he told her.

"No, not that one!" Sayuri pouted, sitting down on the bed. With a sigh she bit her thumb and made hand-signs, after placing her hand on the bed Kakashi watched as a small mass of black fur appeared. Sayuri hung her head and poked it sharply. "Morio, wake up." she said almost pleadingly. Kakashi watched as a small black paw lightly swiped at the pale hand. The cub moved and rolled onto it's back, lightly it licked its lips and swished its tail. "Fish." Sayuri muttered. Kakashi chuckled as the panther rolled onto it's side, now awake. It's bright green eyes focussed on Sayuri and widened. "M'lady!" he cheered climbing up. Sayuri smiled and stroked the silken fur. "We can play later Morio. But I need you to find my headband." she told him. Morio grinned, showing it's white pointed teeth and leapt off the bed before rushing around the bed room and into the living room.

"M'lady?" Kakashi repeated to Sayuri watching as she tensed and forced a smile.

"Don't your summon animals call you master or boss? Any sort of superior title?" she asked, avoiding his question with ones of her own.

"Maybe…" he admitted slowly, watching as a blush tinted her cheeks.

"I'll leave you in private…" she said, clearing her throat.

"Me being in a towel didn't bother you the first night here…"

"Yes because I was tired and you were too busy distracting me with a fight over who slept where to let me think about such a thing. " she said with a grin before lightly making her way out of the room. His eyes slowly followed her, paying close attention to the sway of her hips and smirked before closing his door to get dried and dressed.

Sayuri slowly traced the symbol of the marsh valley headband and smiled softly as Morio lay sprawled out on her chest while she stroked his head and gently scratched his neck. She lounged on the sofa and listened to Morio give her brief updates on the things she had missed. "The toad guy arrived last week…" Morio told her. "Your family were happy to know you were okay, oh! Hideaki received his summoned animal while you were gone and he has a girlfriend now and your father is on his way to see you with the toad man and-" Sayuri's hand fell over the cub's mouth. "My father is coming?" she asked. The cub nodded and continued to talk as Sayuri moved her hand away. Kakashi stood in the doorway watching the happily but nervous smile on her face and noticed the slow tears falling down her face. Morio rolled onto his stomach and put his paw on Sayuri's cheek. "Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?" Kakashi watched Sayuri give out a small sob and shake her head.

"Sayuri's just happy, that's all." Kakashi spoke up. The panther fixed his young curious eyes on the ninja and grinned as Sayuri nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Kakashi walked passed, patting her shoulder lightly. "I'll make us some tea." he told her.

"Thanks…" Sayuri smiled, sitting up a little and propped her feet up on the sofa, causing the cub to fall back against her raised upper legs. The cub sniffed and nudged the bottom of her shirt up to show the paw mark. Curiously he placed his own tiny paw on top of the mark. "Dad healed you yesterday." he said, it wasn't a question.

"I didn't tell him to though."

"Yeah he pretends that he only cares about fighting but he's a softie especially over you." the cub laughed, turning and climbing up to sit on her knees, over looking the small living accommodation. His ears and whiskers twitched. "Kakashi you might want to make some more tea." Sayuri told him. Not ten seconds later but the knock came and the door opened, Naruto bounding in happily with Hinata while Sasuke and Sakura casually walked in. The only ones looking roughed up were Genma and Anko, both carrying heavy hangovers. It helped to know a medic like Sakura who had happily cleared her and Sasuke's hangovers. Naruto didn't seem to be suffering from one and Hinata hadn't drunk a lot the night before to get one. Kakashi looked at them from the open kitchen area. Sakura and Hinata spotted Morio perched on Sayuri's knees, both letting out simultaneous 'Awww''s and went over to see him. Hinata sat on the open space by Sayuri's feet while Sakura knelt on the floor. Clearly Morio liked the attention of being stroked and scratched. Hinata looked at Sayuri curiously. "Are we annoying him? He isn't purring…"

"Panther's can't purr. But don't worry, he's enjoying it." Sayuri smiled, taking a cup of hot tea from Kakashi with a smile turned towards him as thanks. Genma slumped onto the spare sofa with Anko while Naruto sat next to them. Sasuke sat on the armrest of the spare armchair and smirked at Sakura doting over the cub with the Hyuga heiress.

"So Kakashi-sensei, are we heading back to Konoha this afternoon? Grandma Tsunade and some of the others have already set off." Naruto asked.

"I'm not sure Genma and Anko are fit to travel just yet." Kakashi chuckled. Genma and Anko groaned in response.

"We can stay an extra day…" Anko moaned out, rubbing her forehead.

"You can all go on…" Genma added. Sayuri grinned.

"Seen a Suna girl you like already have you?" she teased taking a drink of her tea slowly. Naruto scowled at the ninja next to him. "You're a pig."

"Got that right." Sakura muttered.

"Wha-! I haven't done anything!" Genma protested weakly with a sick whine.

"Yet…" Sasuke muttered. Genma looked at Sayuri who was grinning felinely behind her cup.

"Why did you do that?"

"Cause it was fun." Sayuri laughed with a shrug, blinking when she felt Morio climb off of her knees. The panther climbed up onto Sakura's shoulder and lightly pawed at her pink hair with curiosity before he pounced up onto Hinata's lap so both of the females could continue giving him his attention.

"So I take it he sticks around long after his task is finished?" Sasuke asked, recalling what Sayuri had told him the day before about the adult panther during the exams.

"Yeah, Morio loves exploring and hanging around. He's great at finding things." she smiled setting her empty cup on the coffee table. She got up and stretched. "I'm going to shower and get dressed. You two okay with Morio for a bit?" she asked to Sakura and Hinata, already knowing the answer and didn't wait to hear one.

"So you two are really going to stay another day here?" Kakashi asked Anko and Genma who had taken up residence on one of the sofas, not moving an inch. Sayuri leaned against the doorframe with a smirk, Morio draped over one of her shoulders, nuzzling his head into her neck affectionately. "Naruto and the others are saying goodbye to Gaara, we'll leave with them." Kakashi told her. Sayuri laughed and walked over to Genma, lightly stroking the brown locks from his face. "You are seriously hungover…" she laughed before kissing his forehead and straightened up .

"Some concern would be nice…" Genma groaned, feeling like he was about to throw up again.

"You're a big boy you'll be fine after some rest. No one told you to keep drinking with Anko last night while the smarter part of us were sleeping it off." she smirked.

"How did you-?" Anko moaned.

"I can smell whiskey and sake off both of you. We didn't drink whiskey last night." Sayuri smirked before she turned to grab her bag from the bedroom. "Is he coming with us?" Kakashi asked when she came back, looking at the panther cub. Sayuri smirked. "Of course, he hasn't been to Konoha before plus it'll be handy to have him around. Anko won't have to go shopping with me anymore if I have Morio."

"How do you figure that out?"

"He's small, sits perfectly on my shoulder and can tell me where the things I need are." she explained. "Plus it's either him or a larger one and I don't think the storeowners will like that." Sayuri added, Morio grinned at the silver haired ninja. Kakashi frowned at the panther cub, he doubted any kind of panther would be liked by storeowners. "He might distract Hinata and Sakura…" he said.

"And what's wrong with a little distraction now and then?…you wouldn't have any problem with it if you weren't such a dog person. Besides it's not like I'm asking you to touch him." Sayuri shrugged.

"How do you know I'm a dog person?"

"Morio told me that you can summon dogs. Therefore you're a dog person." she smirked as Naruto and the others appeared. After calling goodbye to Anko and Genma, they all set off for Konoha.

A week after the return from Suna, Sayuri was called to Tsunade's office. She stood with her arms folded behind her back. The door opened not long after and two figures entered. Tsunade looked to Sayuri who was fidgeting and seemed nervous. Jiraiya entered along with a man looking to be close to his sixties. His rust coloured hair was speckled with grey. His kind but strong face had a small amount of wrinkles, maintaining his handsome appearance. His dark brown eyes stared uncertainly at the back of Sayuri who was shaking. The man swallowed and looked to Tsunade, bowing to her respectfully. "Lady Hokage…" he said, the sound of his voice making Sayuri's body become rigid and stop shaking. "Lord Kurosawa…a pleasure to meet you." she said in turn, rising from her seat to bow to him. Sayuri slowly turned tears falling down her face. Unsteadily she stepped towards him, her hands out towards his face. Smooth, pale wrinkled hands took her wrists and tenderly led them to his face. Sayuri gently felt his face, giving a choked sob and laugh at the same time. "You've gotten wrinkles…" she swallowed, her fingers touching the sides of his eyes. "and haven't lost your humour."

"I also didn't lose hope of finding you again…" he whispered encircling his arms around her and holding his daughter close, one hand on her back while the other touched the back of her head while his chin lay on top of her crown of scarlet locks. "My child you will have to return…" he told her softly.

"Bu-but…" Sayuri began as her father let go of her to wipe her tears away.

"Now, now it is not permanent…unless you want it to be. Your mother wishes to see you and your brother. However there is another reason that you need to return. You are the heiress and your brother is learning…our village needs a leader and I'm old and wish to retire on my birthday. You are needed to take over until Kazuhiko is ready." Sayuri slowly nodded. "When do we leave?" she asked.

"I will return soon. You can come whenever you like as long as it's within the next four months. That way you are home before my birthday. I'd like for you to bring a couple of Leaf ninja with you for protection." he told her before looking to Tsunade. "I will pay for that service Lady Hokage." he added to the blonde, pulling a large envelope out from the inside of his sleeve and passed it to the cub on his daughter's shoulder. Morio took the string tied around the thick package and leapt lightly onto Tsunade's desk and placed it in front of her. Tsunade took the object and untied it, her eyes bulging at the large stack of paper money. All of the notes were of the highest currency.

"L-lord Kurosawa…" Tsunade stammered, her mouth moving up and down but couldn't express anything to him through words. "Th-this is….far too much!" she gasped.

"Hardly, consider a quarter of it payment for Jiraiya escorting me here safely. The rest is for no less than two strong, capable ninja accompanying my daughter to the Village Hidden in the Marsh Valleys and serving as her closest bodyguards while she's there and returning her safely to you." the man explained with a wave of his hand. "It's still not enough to repay you for you ninja rescuing my child and accepting her as a ninja." he said with a warm and grateful smile. Tsunade swallowed and nodded. "Word will spread of your return and some enemy villages will no doubt be looking to take you or kill you. And I'm not going to let that happen a second time." Sayuri smiled. Jiraiya grinned and clapped the lord on the shoulder. "It's been great seeing you two reunited but I must be going…research to conduct." he grinned before sliding over to Tsunade's desk. "I'll need my cut of the payment before I leave." he grinned. Tsunade glowered at the man but pulled out some of the bills from the top stack and passed them to the perverted sage. Jiraiya bowed. "Thank you, kind lady…until next time. Goodbye." he said disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sayuri stood next to her father and turned to face Tsunade. "I'd like to spend the rest of the day with my father if that's alright with you?" she asked. Tsunade smiled.

"Of course. Lord Kurosawa. It was lovely seeing you." she said. Sayuri and her father smiled and left the room together, Morio following close at their heels.

"Hey, who's that man with Sayuri?" Naruto asked, looking up from his training partners to see the bright scarlet haired woman walking with a high-class looking man, her arm linked through his lightly. Kakashi looked up from his book to see the two walking at the other end of the field, following the trail and heading towards the town again.

"Probably her father, Morio said he was coming to see her." He mused, swiftly grabbing the back of Naruto's jacket before the blonde could rush over. "They haven't seen each other in thirteen years. Leave them to themselves, okay?" he told the blonde who pouted and nodded. "Fine. C'mon Sasuke. Another fight!" he yelled out happily to the Uchiha. Kakashi looked at Sayuri as she walked with her father and he smiled. It was nice that they were reunited.

"Sayuri where's your dad?" Naruto asked later on that evening, finding the woman with Genma at the bar.

"You're dad was here?" Genma asked, he'd only just arrived from his mission so hadn't seen her.

"Yes he was and he's headed back to the village. He's a busy man." she smiled. Kakashi settled into the booth at the other side along with the others. "So…how many out of five is it?" Sakura asked with a smirk. Genma slowly swallowed and set his glass down on the table.

"Two." Sayuri giggled, more at ease with the subject than Genma was.

"It's not looking good for you Genma…" Anko mused with a smirk.

"Well I was away on a mission…I don't have any for a while so all my attention will be on this fine woman." he grinned, pulling Sayuri closer and lightly kissed her neck making the woman in his arms giggle. Kakashi glanced at them from the corner of his visible eye. He bit back his jealousy and got up to get another drink. He never felt jealous before. Not even when Genma had a total knockout in his arms. It both pissed him off and made him curious about what made Sayuri different. She's beautiful, smart, sexy, flexible… his mind listed for him. But she was also stubborn, liked to argue with him, irritated him at times when she refused help, she also irritated him when she didn't agree with him, sometimes she was too emotional. It also both intrigued him and annoyed him when she was too laid back and open about certain subjects. The masked ninja paid for his drink and went back to the booth, preparing himself for a long night.


	15. Chapter 15

Nearly two months had passed since Lord Kurosawa's visit. Tsunade still couldn't believe the amount the man paid, although she didn't blame Sayuri's father wanting his daughter to be protected on her arrival back home. Kosuke was still out there and so far there had been no results from ANBU. Her brown eyes narrowed and she summoned the leader of the team. She wanted answers.

"Kosuke is proving harder to keep track of Lady Hokage…" an ANBU with a bear mask told her. "We did however get a couple of his subordinates. Perhaps that woman will be able to help."

"Sayuri?" Tsunade asked. "I thought she told you all everything that she knew about him."

"No just about his strength, power and his capabilities as a ninja. She told us what areas of the Diamond Country he mostly operated in." The bear masked ANBU explained before turning as the door knocked and slowly opened. Speak of the devil. Sayuri stepped in and froze. "Oh…um s-sorry for interrupting…" she said before bowing. "I'll leave."

"Wait, Sayuri. Come in." Tsunade called. It couldn't hurt to see if she knew more about Kosuke. "We could use your help." Hesitantly, Sayuri stepped back into the room and closed the door before approaching the desk. "This ANBU is the one in charge of the team assigned to finding Kosuke. And they aren't having the best of luck finding him…maybe you could help?"

"Well…if he isn't in any of his bases in the parts of Diamond that I told the ANBU of…" she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably seeming both angry and revolted by what she was trying to say. "…he'll be at one of his…'businesses'…well they aren't exactly his but he is a joint owner and…"

"What type of business is he a part owner in?"

"Women…Hokage-sama…" Sayuri forced out in a disgusted whisper.

"And by women…you mean?"

"Strip clubs, brothels…" Sayuri began to play with her hands. And bit her lower lip. There was something else, Tsunade could feel her hesitation. "…he wanted me to go to one of them…"

"So the abilities he wanted you for were…sexual?" Tsunade asked slowly.

"Not exactly…there's one business he has great investment in. On the surface it's a place were women are dress to show different fantasies…men come see if his fantasy is there and buys a woman for a night or longer to do as the man commands. But underneath shady business men and corrupt lords will hire these women to seduce and kill a target when they are most vulnerable." She explained. "Hokage-sama…will you allow me to go there?" she asked suddenly. Tsunade's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"Because Kosuke is no doubt looking for me. The people there will recognise me…well his business partner will at least and won't turn me away. He'll definitely keep me there until Kosuke comes if he isn't there already. I've got my chakra back. I can get him... I need to get him." Sayuri said strongly. Tsunade looked to the ANBU officer.

"Get your team ready."

"No! No teams. Just me. Kosuke will sense a trap if there is a lot of chakra around the place."

"You can't go alone…" Tsunade said strongly.

"Then pick a ninja to follow me after a week or two. Make him go in disguise or stay hidden. But I need to make it seem like I'm completely alone. I know it's risky but it's the only way." Slowly Tsunade looked from the determined woman to the silent ANBU, she wasn't sure about this…

"Why have you gotten such a stupid look on your face?" Naruto asked Genma, getting a little unnerved by the wide grin on the man's face. Genma's grin grew wider, creeping Naruto out more. The senbon chewer threw his arm around the blonde's shoulders and chuckled. "Poor, innocent boy when you get to have sex with a gorgeous woman you'll have the same look as me." the statement made Naruto blush furiously as he shoved the man. "I too have…what the hell am I telling you? You are such a pervert! You shouldn't go around openly talking about it. What if Sayuri heard?"

"It's her I'm talking about and if you had had sex you wouldn't have needed to ask why I was grinning so much. You innocent child." Genma teased, lightly tapping the side of his whiskered face.

"I know it's Sayuri you're talking about. She wouldn't like you to broadcast everything around the village…show some respect."

"She won't mind especially since it's fantastic sex…"

"Flatterer." an amused voice sounded behind the men who were standing outside the Hokage building. They turned to see Sayuri smirking, her arms folded and her hips cocked lightly to one side. One thin red eyebrow arched. "By all means continue Genma. I want to hear more about our fantastic sex." Genma stuttered and laughed nervously. "Well I'd love to but the Hokage wants to see me…"

"Fine. I have a mission to go on so you can tell me and refresh my memory when I get back." she grinned as the brunette grinned and entered the building.

"Are you mad at him?" Naruto asked as Sayuri giggled.

"Nah, it's all harmless. But letting him think I'm mad means he'll try very hard to make it up to me." she winked before walking off towards the Village gates. Tsunade watched from the window of her office as Sayuri walked away. She hoped she was doing the right thing.

"You sent her alone?" Kakashi repeated. It had been just over a week since Sayuri had left. "Can I ask why?" Tsunade scowled at him with narrowed eyes and tried to hide her amusement as Morio who had taken residence in the office since Sayuri left was now on top of the Copy Ninja's head, pawing at the spikes of silver. "She assured me she could do it. Where she's headed isn't under his control so there will be no chakra restrictors. When he arrives she will use genjutsu."

"This matter was meant to be handled by ANBU. Why didn't they go with her to wherever she's gone?"

"Kosuke would sense it as a trap. Besides you used to be ANBU. If she needs help you can give it to her. Morio will lead you to her. Disguise yourself, keep yourself hidden…do as you like but keep Sayuri and civilians out of harms way. Kosuke is the target, no one else."

"So where exactly is she?" Kakashi asked with a sigh.

"She didn't say where she was going. All I know is she's going to some business partly owned by Kosuke." the Hokage said evasively. She had noticed the stares he gave Sayuri in that bar in Suna and wanted to have a little fun with him. "Get your things ready and set of with the cub when you're ready." Kakashi nodded and turned, opening the door. "And Kakashi?" Tsunade called, halting him. "Good luck." she said. Kakashi frowned it almost sounded like Tsunade's words had some sort of double meaning to them. Without turning to look at her, he nodded and left. The masked ninja let his dark orb slide down to the panther looking up at him expectantly. "Do you know where she is?" he asked. The cub's tail lightly swished from side to side. "Yes and no. C'mon go get ready. I want to see her." Me too. The thought came to the silver haired jounin as he walked towards the exit of the building. Kakashi sighed as he found himself following the panther cub through the forest. The tiny thing moved fast. He'd rather have his nin-dogs track her down…but he didn't have anything of Sayuri's to use as a guide and the panther knew where he was going. Maybe he was a complete dog person that just didn't want to follow a cat's lead. Kakashi grumbled to himself as he pushed on and continued travelling from branch to branch. In the back of his mind he worried about what was happening to Sayuri. What if Kosuke was there and had taken her? What if he'd tortured her again? He hoped that that wasn't the case. After two days of solid travelling he found himself on the border of Diamond Country and in the middle of a sleazy but wealthy town. He had used a transformation, appearing as a pale skinned man. The black hair was slicked back and his now same coloured pale brown eyes looked over a pair of glasses. He knew the type to travel in these parts were corrupt, money loving and just as sleazy and dishonourable as the town he stood in. Placing his hands in his pockets he glanced up to see Morio perched on the roof of a large building. As the evening came, lights flickered on and Kakashi was now looking at a flashing neon sign that read 'Exotic Fantasy' he felt himself choke, his stomach dropped and he was filled with dread. Sayuri was in there? With a sigh he walked to the door and entered. As far as these types of builds went, this one actually seemed…clean and somewhat tasteful. "Hello sir." a feminine voice came, slowly he looked and saw woman in a nurse's uniform smiling at him. "You must be a first time guest. Come, I'll show you to a seat." she said turning and leading him through the lobby and into a wide spacious room. At the back was a large plat formed stage with a curtain drawn shut. Black leathered booths were seated around the upper levels of the room and were situated in the bottom up close with the stage. The middle level that Kakashi stood on were basic tables and chairs designed for just one or two people. Over head lights and carefully placed candles on each table made the place seem like it was a fancy restaurant and bar. "And how exactly is this my problem?" a male voice came from the bar on the upper level. Kakashi turned to see Kenta from the inn talking to another man. "Kenta!" he shouted out, his transformation voice was a low growling one that seemed more animalistic than anything else. Kenta and the man froze, looking down to see him. "Do I know you?" Kenta asked cautiously.

"Not personally, but your boss owes a great debt to me and I want it." Kakashi watched as the young man swallowed and walked down the small steps and approached him. "Debt?" he asked curiously.

"I've gotten him out of a few sticky situations…even gave him some of my men as help. Now where is that bastard Kosuke?" he growled. Kenta paled.

"H-he's on his way… he should arrive in the next few days. He's trying to stay off the radar for a bit."

"And how do you know he'll be here?"

"Because he got some information…and sent me here to clarify it. L-look I don't know what the debt is…but I can let you have any girl you like for free and as long as you like until Kosuke arrives and you can talk to him personally." he reasoned, leading Kakashi up to the upper level. "This is the best seat in the place. You relax, enjoy. I'll sit with you so you can tell me which one catches your eye." he said soothingly. He watched as Kenta looked to the man near the bar and made a motion. Swiftly the man approached and sat on the other side of Kakashi with a tray of expensive whiskey and three glasses. "So any one I want?" Kakashi asked with a smirk. "What if I don't like the…fantasy?" he asked noticing another woman walk by in a French maids outfit. "Well then you can pick a different fantasy of course." the second man said in a strong voice. "I'm the co-owner, Atsushi."

"Hisao." Kakashi grunted throwing back his drink. It wasn't long before the building began to fill with men. The music that had been playing low in the background picked up as the curtains slowly parted. Kakashi watched with mild interest as woman came out portraying almost every fantasy outfit there was; the nurse, the maid, the police officer, the school girl, the teacher, twins even came up. One by one these women came onto the stage, danced for the men and acted out their roles to give their audience a taste of what they could have if they paid for it. So far there was no sign of Sayuri. "Is that it?" Kakashi asked, looking to Kenta as the music seemed to die down. "No…there's one more…" he said. The music changed once more into some sort of middle eastern tune that reminded Kakashi of a snake charmer. As he took a slow drink of the whiskey he felt the amber liquid stick in his mouth as a bare leg appeared from the side of the stage. A gold ankle bracelet shone and gave a low jingle as the ankle gave a teasing twist. A low, hypnotic drum beat picked up in the music as the woman fully came out into view. Slowly Kakashi swallowed as he watched the scarlet haired woman dance. She portrayed a harem girl. Although he'd just taken a drink, his mouth was dry. His eyes drank her in fully. The scarlet and gold silk was wrapped over her chest and the sheer see through fabric of the scarves attached to the arm bracelets at her wrists and upper arms moved and flowed along with her sensual movement. The crimson and scarlet silk of her skirt rippled as her arms and hands above her head and hips indulged in their own movements. The skirt was slit at both sides to show all of Sayuri's toned, beautifully smooth legs. It was wrong to look at her this way…like she was a toy, it wasn't right to look at her like all of these corrupt, lowlife men were. Watching her was both torture and pleasure but he wasn't going to let one of his comrades be looked at in this way anymore…at least not by scum who were willing to pay to have her. "Her." Kakashi said, looking to Kenta who paled. "H-her?" he asked.

"Her!" the disguised ninja growled.

"But that's -"

"The one I've picked."

"Another woman would certainly do the fantasy for you Hisao…"

"Her, and the fantasy she's showing. You did guarantee it, Kenta. I don't like liars and little snakes that try to wriggle out of deals they've made with me. I want that woman now for as long as I want. That is what you promised." Kakashi said getting closer to the scared man who could only nod. "Of course…you'll have Ruby for as long as you want for free."

"Good. I'll take her to my hotel room after she's done on that stage." he said sternly. The two men on wither side nodded slowly while mentally cursing Kosuke for having fallen into debt with this terrifying man. Atsushi cleared his throat and left the booth to head down to the stage as the music ended. Before Sayuri fully left the stage, Atsushi called for her. Kakashi watched as she headed towards him and put out her hand as he assisted her off the stage. Silently he led her passed the filled tables and booths until she was presented to Kakashi. Sayuri put her hands together and bowed. "What my master wants, my master gets." she said to him seductively. Kakashi was stunned and smirked for the sake of Atsushi and Kenta. This was the first time Sayuri had makeup on. Her unseeing blue eyes were framed with black, her long black lashed caressed red and gold eyelids and her usually pale pink lips were now painted a passionate red. Kakashi nodded and rose. "Come." he ordered, finishing his drink and taking her by the upper arm to escort her out of the building. Without speaking he led her to the hotel, the workers and townspeople were so used to sights like this they didn't bat an eye at them. As soon as the door to the room closed, Sayuri spun and hugged him tightly, burying her face into black suit he was wearing. "Thank god you're here!" she all but groaned at him. "You can drop the jutsu now." she told him before pulling away ripping the headdress from her hair, letting the waves of scarlet fall down her shoulders. Kakashi watched her actually speechless and mesmerised by her. "Kakashi, are you okay?" she asked.

"You know it's me?"

"I know your presence." she said, feeling the wall and chest of drawers before finding the bed.

"You aren't always this unsure of your surroundings." he observed as he dropped the jutsu.

"No, you just haven't seen me unsure of my surroundings…no wait. You have." she smiled as she sat down on the mattress. "That night in the inn after Sakura healed me. I went to the bathroom to change. You were watching me then and I had to feel my way about."

"I remember now. I thought it was because there was no light in the room that you were moving that way." he recollected watching as the scantily dressed ninja folded her arms over her chest with a frown.

"I said goodnight to you and you didn't say a word." she accused with a pout.

"Sorry, I was tired…"

"It's fine." she smiled before rubbing her forehead. "I'm glad you're here. I'd hate for anyone else to have seen me like that…" she paused, grabbed the folded blanket at the bottom of the bed and pulled it over her. Kakashi looked at her and raised his eyebrows. She was blushing. "And why is it alright for me to see you like that? Why not Genma? You are in a relationship with him after all."

"I trust you more than him…he hasn't seen me vulnerable like you have…he hasn't heard how I feel about being blind. Genma is a great guy and wonderful to be with but it isn't serious and I know we'll be great friends but I'd never be 'that girl' to Genma and he'll never be 'that guy', you know? That person were you could be completely open, unrestricted and basically unmasked in front of them and they'd help you, they'd understand, they'd comfort you, they'd accept you fully. That deep, mutual respect that you'd probably never fully achieve with any other being." Sayuri explained. "Genma gives me his respect and his acceptance but all we are is two adults having sex, going out who know it isn't going to last but are being mature and enjoying the moment." she smiled. Kakashi let all of her words sink in, glad that her relationship with Genma wasn't serious. But something hit him. "Are you saying I'm 'that guy' for you?" His words made her tense, her blush deepened and it took her a moment to speak.

"N-no. I'm saying Genma isn't that guy. I'm saying that you're the only one who I've been vulnerable with so you seeing me this way isn't as bad as it would have been if it was another ninja." she explained tightening the blanket around her. Kakashi chuckled at her, she was acting like an innocent virgin. "If that's the case why are you covering up?" he asked.

"Because I feel…" she began and chewed her painted lower lip. "…dirty…like I'm just a piece of dressed up meat. Like I'm worthless…like I'm not desired, just a possession." Kakashi's eyes widened, how could a woman who had every man in that club lusting after her -including himself- not feel desired. "You don't feel desired? Did you not hear the whistles and cheers tonight? Didn't you hear the sounds of disappointment when you were led away?" he asked.

"That's not the same thing. Wave any piece of meat in front of a hungry dog and it'll do anything to get it. That's lust and probably attraction too but it's not desire. I don't like thinking that I need to offer myself like this.." she dropped part of the blanket to show the outfit for emphasis. "…to get that sort of reaction from a man…any man. And the whole paying thing isn't too great either." she sighed, falling back onto the bed, the blanket covering everything but her hair. For some reason Tsunade's words 'Good luck' rang in his head. The silver haired man approached the bed and pulled the blanket back slightly, stopping when it reached her shoulders.

"You shouldn't feel like a piece of meat, you shouldn't feel dirty and you should most definitely not feel undesired. You are a beautiful young woman who could probably get the same reaction tonight from any man if you were fully wrapped up in that blanket." he told her genuinely, he glanced down to see she had turned her head towards him. He cleared his throat and looked out the window at the nightlife going on in the streets. "You were the sexiest woman there tonight, had everyone drooling over you." he chuckled, Feeling the bed shift slightly and tensed when he heard Sayuri ask. "Even you?"

"W-well…not exactly, my mouth was too dry to drool unfortunately…" he told her turning his head to feel Sayuri's lips connect softly with his. His mismatched eyes widened. The kiss was brief but there was something about it that sent a jolt through him. Slowly Sayuri pulled away and shifted nervously, like a child caught doing something she shouldn't have. "Um…that was a thank you…for getting me out of there and…everything-" she explained, tucking some of her hair behind her hair. "I'll-" she began, getting off the bed. Oh no she didn't, Kakashi caught her wrist and pulled her back, his lips locking with hers. His hand placed itself on her lower back and the other worked its way into her hair to hold her close. Unlike the last time he participated in the kiss. Sayuri let out a small moan as she kissed him back her hand falling onto his shoulder and the other wound its way around the back of his neck. The kiss we slow but intense before it slowly began to gather some speed. Teasingly she parted her lips to deepen it but only a little. Kakashi ran his tongue along her lower lip, growling when the woman denied him access. He felt her lips curve into a feline smirk at the growl. As he continued to kiss her, his hand slipped from her back to travel down her waist and settled on her thigh. Just as he slowly massaged her soft skin he tightened his hold in her hair to create a gasp and moan of pleasure at the same time. Taking advantage of the moment he slid his tongue into her mouth. As he explored every inch of her mouth, he continued to massage her thigh succeeding in making her moan so deliciously into his mouth. Her hands held onto his shirt and his silver locks tighter as he continued to kiss her. Finally he pulled away when his lungs screamed for air. Sayuri tilted her head back into his hand, panting breathlessly for air. She swallowed hard and let him hold her in his arms while she was perched on his lap. Kakashi let his mouth fall to her shoulder and made a trail of hot, open mouth kisses up from her shoulder to her neck stopping on a certain spot that made her moan the loudest and her body involuntarily shudder. Grinning he slowly ran his tongue over the spot before kissing and biting it slowly. "Y-you're being…" she began only to cut off with a long pleasured moan as Kakashi bit the spot a little harder and kissed it torturously slow. "Jackass." she growled out making the ninja chuckle against her heated but still pale skin. He smirked and pulled back a little, tilting her head forward again. He knew she couldn't see him but he wanted to see her. "Would you rather I stop?"

"Being a jackass?" She retorted playfully. "Yes I would actually." she smirked. Kakashi laughed at her, it was amazing that she still had her wits about her even after how much he got her to moan.

"That really isn't anyway to speak to me you know…" he grinned at her. "…especially when you're dressed like that." his finger trailed along the waist band of her skirt, the feel of his fingernail slowly dragging it's way across her bare stomach made her tremble and bite her lower lip. "And didn't you say earlier 'what your master wants, your master gets'?" he questioned lightly, his lips against her ear. Sayuri swallowed and pouted. "You aren't my master though." she said in childish defiance. The copy ninja was about to answer when Sayuri moved suddenly, Kakashi found his back against the soft mattress he looked up to see Sayuri sitting on top on him, smirking devilishly as the flame red waves of her hair dropped off of her shoulders. She gave a teasing roll of her hips as she moved down a little to fully straddle his waist. The action alone made Kakashi give out a low groan. He could feel the breath get knocked out of him as she leaned over and let her kiss swollen lips brush against his. "If you were my master, you'd be letting me satisfy you while you relaxed and enjoyed it." she told him in a low seductive tone, her words were spoken against his jaw, her teeth slowly grazing the skin. He suddenly felt silk against his chest and looked down to see she had opened his shirt and pushed the fabric away. His hands went to her sides but she smirked and took his wrists, pinning them on either side of his head. He already wanted her badly and he knew she could tell. He had been told to behave and relax before she began to touch, kiss and pleasure him in different ways that almost had him begging for more. Not sure how much time had passed, Kakashi lay his head back against the pillows as Sayuri climbed off of him and lay down next to him, smirking happily, able to tell that she had thoroughly satisfied her 'master'. He opened his eyes to see her lying on her stomach, her elbow propped up and her chin resting on her palm. Kakashi had thought Genma was a moron for grinning everyday if he'd had sex with Sayuri…but now, the copy ninja was grinning. When he got his breath back he looked up the smirking woman's body. Apart from lacking her underwear that was somewhere on the floor along with his clothes. He smirked. He'd have to sort that out. With a grin, he grabbed the woman and pinned her down on the bed while hovering over her. Slowly he brought his lips to her ear. "My turn." he growled out with a grin. Sayuri bit her lip. His tone was animalistic, beyond sexy and made her swallow in anticipation. Kakashi took his time in making her moaning, whimper and cry out in pleasure. He made sure to build her up until she was dangerously on the verge and would then torture her by not giving her what she wanted so badly. And finally when she begged for it until he was satisfied he gave it to her and repeated this intensely pleasurable torture for her. He was grinning wildly when she threatened him at one point. When she finally got to experience the ultimate satisfaction, she seemed to do so more extremely and strongly each time. Kakashi was sure she was going to lose her voice because of it. Sayuri came down from her high slowly and shook as Kakashi slowly kissed down her jaw and neck. Her lower lip trembled as a shaky, satisfied but completely exhausted moan came from her lips. "…my… god." she croaked out letting Kakashi wrap his arms around her and pull her against his chest. "Can…I sleep now?" she moaned tiredly. The ninja holding her let out an equally tired but warm laugh. He was about to answer when she curled up closer to him and fell asleep. Silently Kakashi watched the woman and lay his head back with a grin before glancing to the clock and smirked, it was almost five. The copy ninja shifted slightly and fell asleep.

A sudden sting made his eyes snap open. Kakashi looked down to see his hand a pale red from hitting it off something. He blinked a few times to wake up and yawned, the more he looked at it, the more it resembled a hand. His eyes narrowed at Sayuri. "Did you hit me?" he accused.

"You kept touching me, I'm too tired for that at the moment." The yawning woman told him, not even bothering to try and deny it. Kakashi looked to see his other hand on her inner thigh, getting dangerously close to her most intimate area. "Sorry, I was asleep." he said lying down and moving his hand to her waist where it was safe.

"Do you always do that?" she asked, rolling onto her stomach and turning her head towards him. "Grope people in your sleep or is that just me?" Kakashi's eyes widened at her question.

"I don't grope people in my sleep."

"Well then it seems that you just grope me in your sleep." she answered back with a laugh. "You did it a couple of times in Suna…and on that mission last month." she informed him.

"Why didn't you stop me those times then?" Kakashi frowned watching her grin.

"Because it felt nice and you were asleep."

"I was asleep a few minutes ago…" he reminded her.

"True but I'm too tired and drained to let you continue." she said pressing her face against the pillow before asking what time it was.

"After eleven, why?" he asked watching as she snapped her eyes open and cursed out in shock. Sayuri used all of her strength to push herself up on the bed. Kakashi slid an arm around her waist halting her movements. "If you're worried about going back you don't have to. Kenta and Atsushi have given you to 'Hisao' for as long as he wants." Sayuri relaxed.

"How did you manage to get them to let you have me anyway?"

"I said Kosuke was in debt to me and I was pissed off. They said I could have any woman I wanted for free and I chose you. It must not have been nice in there." Sayuri smiled and then became serious.

"No it wasn't…I mean the place was clean and comfortable but... The entire situation was bad. It's been a long week and a half. " she sighed before moving out of his hold. "I'm going for a long hot bath since I don't need to rush." she told him before heading to the bathroom. Kakashi smirked and pulled on his boxers before heading to the window as the sound of running water came from the bathroom. The ninja nearly jumped when Morio appeared on the ledge and looked at him expectantly. Kakashi pushed open the window to allow the cub in. The cub leapt up onto the table by the window and looked up at him. "Kosuke's on his way towards the town. He'll arrive in the next twenty minutes." he said stretching out and lounging on the wooden surface. "I don't want the mistress to go back into that place especially with him about. Have you got a plan?" the animal asked. Kakashi agreed, he didn't want Sayuri to go near that building or that man either. Silently he sat down and began to think.


	16. Chapter 16

Kakashi leaned against the wall looking at the building. Kosuke had been in there for twenty minutes. From across the street he could hear the roaring and shouting, however it stopped abruptly five minutes ago. The copy ninja looked to the bathroom door as it slowly opened. Sayuri silently padded into the room, holding a towel around her. "He's back isn't he?" she asked, sitting down on the bed and ran the towel in her hand over her neck and across her collar bone before placing it on her head.

"Yes…do you still want to go through with this?" he asked watching as the hand on her lap shook.

"To be honest I don't want him anywhere near me…In theory I should be able to take him but…" she bit her lower lip. Kakashi walked over and crouched in front of her, placing one hand on hers while the other cupped her cheek. Sayuri released the towel on her head and put her hand on his. "I'll go and investigate. I'll stay hidden and come back and you can decide then." he told her. Slowly she nodded, Kakashi could tell that she was still scared by the thought of Kosuke. Softly he kissed her forehead. "I found some clothes for you. You can put them on if you don't want to wear the costume again." he told her before getting up and disappearing through the window. Morio stretched out onto the bed. "I didn't think you'd let him go so easily…" the cub mused. Sayuri rolled her eyes and smirked.

"All he's doing is going to check things out. He'll be back."

"…I thought you wanted to take Kosuke down on your own."

"I did…I do but he still has an affect on me." She sighed before feeling for the clothes Kakashi had gotten for her. Sayuri pulled on the black shirt and trousers and lay back on the bed. Letting out a worried sigh she turned and pressed her face against the covers. "What type of affect? Fear?" Morio asked curiously.

"No…not fear…" Sayuri sighed, burying her face more into the soft duvet on the bed, wanting to sleep.

Kakashi slipped into 'Exotic Fantasy' through the back alleyway. As soon as he entered the building, a chilling feeling washed over him. It was far too quiet. Cautiously he walked down the halls, hiding his chakra from being detected. "So what are we meant to do with it?" a voice asked from the main room on the other side of the stage. Kakashi kept to the shadows to see the rouges that he'd watched escape with Kosuke all those months ago holding something. "I don't know, Kosuke said to make sure it didn't get away until he came back." the other said, holding the thing more into the light. Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw that it was Morio. That meant the Morio in the hotel room with Sayuri was actually Kosuke. The copy ninja let out an angry curse at his own stupidity. The rouges looked up and around. "Someone's here…"

"Probably that ninja the girl Kosuke wants was with. Come on out!" the rouge mused before calling out to Kakashi. The copy ninja narrowed his eyes and stepped out, the rogues would have had to be captured sooner or later anyway. He just hoped that in the time it took for him to deal with them, no harm came to Sayuri. When the rogues spotted him they became wary but smirked and threw the cub roughly across the room and got ready to fight.

Sayuri lay on the bed, eyes closed and lips parted while softly running her fingers through her own hair and playing with it. Kosuke watched her intently while still in his disguise as her panther companion. It had been so easy to get in, the masked ninja hadn't even suspected him and neither did Sayuri. Silently he stood up on the bed and began to pad towards her. Sayuri rolled onto her back, one hand on her stomach while the other lay above her head. Her guard was dropped and she was completely vulnerable against him. He paused as she lifted her hand and lightly scratched his ear. Unwillingly he leaned into the touch. "Kakashi's been gone a long time…" she said worriedly. Kosuke frowned. "Maybe one of the girls in there caught his attention?" he suggested watching as Sayuri's jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed up at the ceiling. "Are you…jealous?" Kosuke asked. Sayuri got up abruptly.

"No, why would I be jealous? We only slept together, we aren't a couple so there's no reason for me to be jealous." she muttered.

"You slept together?" Kosuke demanded finding it hard to keep control of his temper and transformation.

"Yes." Sayuri said before smirking when she turned. "Jealous, Kosuke?" she asked. Kosuke growled and lunged at her, dropping the transformation while in the air. Sayuri leapt out of the way and tumbled sideways to avoid Kosuke's sweeping arm. He charged towards her, licking his lips. Sayuri ducked and tried to head for the room door but Kosuke grabbed her ankle and dragged her roughly to the floor. She twisted, aiming a kick to his stomach but he grabbed her leg in his free hand. Grinning Sayuri made swift hand-signs. Kosuke blinked and looked around, no longer able to see. He let out a strangled gag as something connected with his throat. As he put his hand to his throat, he released on of her ankles. Taking her chance, Sayuri sharply kicked him in the stomach and then between the legs. She grinned at the howl of pain he let out. It was a cheap shot she knew but with Kosuke he deserved everything he got. Reaching up she punched his face and clawed at his neck. She could feel her nails breaking his skin and the blood running down her fingers. Kosuke growled out. He had one hand still grabbing her leg, she wouldn't get away from him that easily. Roughly he swiped his hand, feeling it connect with the side of her face. "I will kill you, you fucking bitch." he said in a croak. "But I'll make you suffer first…" he laughed harshly letting his hand slide up her thigh and dip into her inside thigh to emphasize his point. At his words Sayuri struggled, digging her nails in deeper while kicking and punching. Kosuke continued to pin her down, he wasn't letting her get away again. Using his free hand he grabbed her wrist and roughly twisted it. Kosuke blinked, finding he was getting his sight back.

"Oh so your little jutsu has a time limit…" he grinned maliciously, tightening his hold on her twisted arm. "stop struggling Sayuri. You can't get away from me or your death. I made sure to have a couple of guys to keep your masked friend busy." he hissed, glancing up to see the bathroom door was open. From the angle he was at he could see the mirror on the wall showing the that bathtub was still full of water. Smirking he got to his feet and pulled Sayuri with him. He positioned himself behind her and slammed her face into the undisturbed surface of water. A loud sadistic laugh broke from him as Sayuri struggled, trying to lift her head out After a few moments he wrenched her from the water, Sayuri let out a loud gasp for air. "And one more for luck." Kosuke grinned, holding her firmly and shoved her upper body into the water again, holding her there for a lot longer than he had before. When her struggles began to weaken he pulled her back up, only to have something hard hit him forcefully in the nose. With the floor covered in water, he slipped back, holding his face, releasing Sayuri who now held a long metallic bar in her hand. Kosuke let out a grunt of pain as the woman slammed the bar down onto his shoulder and then to his ribs. The criminal boss fell against the wall as the bar hit his jaw sharply and strongly. As he slid to the floor, Sayuri slammed the end of the bar down to his kneecap letting out a sharp scream of pain. "H-how?" he spat at her, clearing his mouth of blood. Kosuke received his answer; one hit to his body and face for each word.

"Because. You. Are. A. Lowlife. Predictable. Sadistic. Bastard!" she shouted, delivering a final blow to his head, knocking him unconscious and beaten to the floor.

"Sayuri!" Kakashi's voice called out; tired, Sayuri let go of the bar and sank to the floor. Kakashi heard the loud metal clatter and shot into the bathroom, looking from Kosuke to Sayuri who apart from a few bruises around her face and her shirt and face soaking wet she seemed okay if not a little shaken up. He looked down at the bloodied bar and then to Sayuri who had blood on her hands and fingernails. Stepping over the man, he knelt down next to her.

"You knew all along that it was Kosuke in the room and not Morio, didn't you?" he asked; too relieved to sound properly annoyed.

"I knew." Sayuri sighed with a shaky nod. "I wanted to take him on by myself and I knew he'd try to kill you so when you suggested investigating, I let you go so you wouldn't get hurt." she explained. Kakashi sighed and looked at the bar. "Where did you get that?"

"From the wall…hotels are meant to have them installed for people who have trouble getting in or out of the bath." Sayuri answered. "Kakashi…you didn't hurt Kenta too much did you? I mean I know he followed Kosuke and everything but I know he's a good guy and…" she stopped, feeling the man next to her tense. "Kakashi…" she whispered. "what did you do?"

"Nothing. I didn't touch Kenta. But after I dealt with the rogues and made sure Morio was okay I went to look for Atsushi and Kenta." he began. "Sayuri…they were dead. Either Kosuke did it or told the rogues to. I'm sorry." he told her honestly. Sayuri swallowed and tried to hold back her tears, before she could reach for the bar again, Kakashi caught her wrist and pulled her close to him.

"Finishing him off would be far too swift and painless. " he told her. "Ibiki can torture someone for hours and still not be done." Sayuri cried silently and nodded slowly.

"Just make sure he suffers." she whispered, rising unsteadily to her feet. As she left the room she kicked Kosuke one last time in the throat. Kakashi ran his hands through his hair and began to restrain Kosuke just in case he woke up while they were on their way to Konoha.

The journey back was silent as they dragged the rouges and Kosuke back. Kakashi took Kosuke and the largest rogue while Sayuri dragged a bound and gagged smaller rogue. The rogue in Sayuri's care woke up halfway through the journey and began to struggle only to be flipped in the air and thrown onto his back. Sayuri sat down on his body pointing a blade at this throat and dangled a kunai dangerously low below his waist. "I'm in a foul mood here so it would be in your best interest to behave. I mean we aren't allowed to kill Kosuke but no one said anything about you." she said in a quiet, neutral voice which even made Kakashi take a step away from her. The rogue swallowed hard. "Are you going to behave and walk silently?" Sayuri asked, hearing a muffled yes. She got to her feet and pulled the man with her. Morio lay over her shoulder. "You say the word and I'll bite his vocal chords out along with the rest of his throat." he said darkly. Sayuri smirked and nodded before walking on. "Kakashi, we should probably not tell people about what happened…I'd rather forget this mission. I know Genma is your close friend and you don't want to tell him." she spoke up. Kakashi looked at her silently. He had been worried about Genma's reaction if he found out. Sure he and Sayuri weren't in an exclusive relationship, well on his side at least. But it wouldn't be right to tell him.

"If that's what you want. What number is Genma at now?" he asked curiously.

"Three I think, but I've been away for nearly two weeks so who knows. " she replied, lightly petting Morio's head. Kakashi nodded and continued to walk. The sooner they delivered the rogues and Kosuke to Konoha the better.

Tsunade leaned back in her seat, observing the beaten and bruised Kosuke and the two rogues before looking to Sayuri and Kakashi. "So, what's your report?" she asked.

"I was there for over a week, Kakashi arrived in disguise and pretended to be a customer to get me out of there. The next day Kosuke and the rogues arrive. Kakashi went to deal with the rogues and I let Kosuke track me down. We beat them and now we're here." Sayuri reported. Tsunade looked at Kakashi and back to Sayuri… something was different about them. "Is that all that happened?" she questioned.

"I had to dance and dress as a stripper before Kakashi came and Kosuke tried to drown me. Am I leaving anything out Kakashi?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Nothing pertaining to the mission, no. Oh you did threaten to have a rogue killed if he didn't behave."

"Ah, of course I left that part out. " Sayuri smiled innocently. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Kakashi since would be the only one that could see it. The copy ninja gave a nervous laugh. "I'll go and deliver them to Ibiki." he said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke along with the three restrained men. Tsunade looked to Sayuri. "Something you wish to talk about?" the Hokage asked.

"I'd like to go to see my family now. Have you escorts picked?" she asked. Tsunade gave a soft laugh and sat back.

"I would have thought you'd want to pick them yourself."

"No, I'll trust your judgement. Pick the ones you think deserve a break." she said. Tsunade's eyebrows rose.

"A break? You don't expect any action while you're there or on the journey to your old village?"

"Possibly some action on the way there, but while I'm in the village it'll be pretty uneventful I think."

"Very well. I'm sure none of them know who your father is or about you being a lord's daughter?"

"No. I'd rather they didn't know until you've finished briefing whoever is going on this mission."

"How long will you be?"

"I don't know to be honest. It's a month and a half until my father's birthday and another two after that until my brother's. When he turns twenty it'll be his turn to lead the village but that depends on if my father believes he's ready. So over three months, maybe more…" she replied. Tsunade sighed and nodded. "Okay, come to the office tomorrow afternoon, ready to go. Oh and Sayuri, by the time you come back there will be an apartment of your our waiting for you." Sayuri broke out into a warm smile at the Hokage's words. "And since this is an escort mission, I'm afraid you aren't to fight if someone attacks. Your father's orders for the mission, not mine. So when you arrive tomorrow, don't have weaponry or come in ninja gear." Sayuri jutted her mouth to the side and sighed. "Yes, Lady Hokage…thank you." she smiled before turning and leaving without another word.

"An escort mission?" Naruto repeated with a frown. "That's kids stuff. Isn't there something more challenging there for us?" he asked.

"Naruto, it isn't just an escort mission. It's also a bodyguard assignment and a holiday for you all. You've all worked hard…" Tsunade explained, opening her drawer and pulling out the large stacks of money that Lord Kurosawa had given her and placed it onto the desk. "…and the pay is not for kids. You will all get a cut of this as payment. The amount that goes to me and the village has already been deducted." she explained smirking at Naruto who was no longer arguing and no doubt calculating how much ramen he could get for it.

"So who exactly are we escorting and where?" Kakashi asked, not looking up from his Icha-Icha until now.

"There is a village in the island ten miles north off the coast of the Thunder Country. You will be escorting the daughter of the village's leader there and protect her as personal bodyguards."

"But you mentioned something about a holiday…" Naruto edged curiously.

"I did. Once you have her safely in her village you are free to do as you like until her younger brother takes over as the next Lord and leader of the village. I hear the village and island is beautiful so you can all relax and take it easy." Tsunade mused with a smile watching as Naruto threw his arm around Hinata and grinned. Kakashi sighed, great he'd be stuck with the young loved up couple and some stuck up, high class Lady he just wished that she would be as quiet as Hinata was. A knock at the door made Tsunade smile. "That'll be her now. Come in." she called. Naruto, Hinata and Kakashi turned as the door opened. Kakashi nearly dropped his book to see Sayuri in the doorway in a crimson thigh length silk yukata and knee length black leggings. "Sayuri, you're the Lady we have to escort?" Naruto asked watching the woman nod. "Are you guys ready to go?" she asked, tucking a strand of her scarlet hair behind her hair. Morio leapt off of her shoulder and into Hinata's arms with a smile. "Yeah! Let's go!" the cub cheered. Naruto grinned at Kakashi who cleared his throat and nodded. "Let's go. It'll take us a week at least to get there." he said. Sayuri gave a small smile and walked out of the office with the others. "Kakashi, Sayuri is not to fight while you are escorting her. That's a requirement of the mission. Her father wants her to be protected, not placed in danger." Tsunade said before he could leave. He slowly looked at the woman and nodded. "No fighting for her, no problem." he said before leaving and shutting the door behind him.


	17. Chapter 17

"I wonder why Genma isn't coming with us…" Naruto said. It would have made sense for the senbon user to go with Sayuri since they were together and everything. The blonde watched Sayuri as she tightened the sash around her waist.

"He was called out for a mission this morning." she said as they walked through the forest, they weren't on a time limit and it didn't matter if they ran or walked, they still wouldn't get there in less than a week.

"Are you looking forward to going back Sayuri-san?" Hinata asked softly.

"Yes to be with my parents and brother again and no because I'll have to take over as leader until my brother is ready." she explained, feeling Morio leap off her shoulder and begin to walk by her feet.

"So are we to call you Lady Sayuri from now on?" the Hyuga asked.

"Please don't, Sayuri will be fine…" she laughed softly.

"I have a question…" Naruto began. "Pervy sage told me about how he knew you but didn't say you were the leader's daughter. But he said when he went after the ninja that took you he went through the forests and straight into the Thunder Country…where we are heading is an island north of the Thunder Country, how does that work out?"

"Our land used to be connected to the Thunder Country but we weren't in their control. The feudal lord kept trying to take advantage of our ninja to join them with the military power and tried to take some of our money and resources since we were technically in part of the Thunder Country. Rather than go to war or fight we decided to separate and make our land an island. When Jiraiya came we were in the middle of the separation so he could still get into the Thunder Country since there was still land connecting us." Sayuri told them. "Although my father told me that we might join back as an alliance but remain an independent country."

"So what is the name of this island we're going to?" Naruto continued with his questions.

"Flower Island."

"Flower Island?" Kakashi questioned, looking up from his book, not that he had been really concentrating on the story since he had been too interested in what Sayuri was saying.

"Because of it's shape and the fact that rare flowers grow there."

"Seems odd that you'd name your island after flowers and have a marsh mentioned in your village name…" Naruto thought out loud making Sayuri laugh.

"It does seem to contrast but you have to remember that the village was named long before we had decided to become an island." she admitted with a warm smile. Hinata smiled, standing closer to Naruto as they walked. She was truly happy that the Hokage let both her and Naruto go on this trip. Kakashi watched as the blonde wrapped one of his arms around his girlfriend with a wide grin before he glanced to Sayuri. "Are you okay with not fighting, you know if our group is attacked?" he asked.

"I'm not happy about it but my father gave an order so I have to do it. Besides I didn't bring any weapons and it's too late to go back for any."

"But you've never used a weapon in fighting apart from a metal bar."

"That's true, I prefer to use taijutsu and genjutsu…but I'm not allowed to use that either. It's up to you to protect me." she answered with a casual smile. Kakashi gave a small smile and continued to walk with her.

The copy ninja yawned as Naruto let out a loud yell before canonballing into the river, sending water everywhere, some of it even hitting his feet as he sat under a tree a few feet from the water's edge. Hinata giggled as the water fell over her while she waded in the water with her boyfriend. Sayuri stood leaning against the tree with her arms folded. "So what are the books you always read about?" she suddenly asked making Kakashi tense and look up at her. "Well…It's about a lot of things." he told her.

"It's porn!" Naruto shouted out from the water. Sayuri grinned, sitting down next to the silver haired ninja as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"There's sex in it?" she questioned.

"Yes?"

"So what, a lot of literature has sex in it. Doesn't make it all porn." she grinned. Kakashi blinked at her as she smiled. "So who wrote it?"

"Jiraiya…"

"Oh, then I guess it is porn after all." Sayuri grinned before bursting out with a bright laugh.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei are we stopping here for the night?" Naruto called.

"Morio's gone to check the area for any inns. If there aren't any around then yes, we'll stay here for the night." Kakashi answered looking down at his book again. Although concentrating on the printed words in front of him was difficult since Sayuri was sitting next to him. Looking to the side he saw her head tilted back against the tree, her eyes closed contently as the setting sun continued to gently warm her face. Kakashi let his gaze fall down to her exposed neck and was tempted to move closer, pull down his mask and kiss her throat just to hear her moan again. "You okay?" she asked softly.

"Yes, I'm fine, why?"

"Just asking." Sayuri smiled, moving slightly to get comfortable.

"Was it a good idea to send Morio out on his own?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"He'll be fine." she said with a grin. Reluctantly Kakashi tore his gaze away from Sayuri and looked to see Morio land onto one of the branches on the row of trees opposite them and drop down into the clearing.

"There's an onsen three miles away. If that's no good it'll be another seven miles to reach the closest town and the inns there don't look clean."

"I've slept in not so clean inns before Morio…" Sayuri frowned as the cub climbed onto her lap.

"No I mean if you step foot in the doorway you'll get some form of disease dirty." the cub explained.

"I'd like to go to the onsen." Naruto grinned, climbing out of the water. "A hot spring sounds great."

Kakashi sighed. "Fine we'll go to the onsen for the night." he said before looking at Sayuri.

"You do know you have to act like you're just a Lord's daughter while we travel."

"You mean I have to act like I have no ninja skill or any idea of the hardships of ninja life?"

"Exactly. While some see Lords and their families to be rare and of value to capture, one with ninja skill is a lot more rare and will up the chances of an attack and attempted capture." he explained, Sayuri nodded in understanding. Kakashi slowly stood up and looked down to see Sayuri holding out her hand.

"Hatake-san I require assistance onto my feet." she said in an elegant, formal voice with a playful smile that betrayed the performance slightly. Smirking behind his mask, Kakashi put out his hand and took hers and pulled her to her feet.

"Does Lady Kurosawa require anything else?" he asked in an equally formal tone. Hinata watched the two silently and then at Naruto who was too busy trying to get his headband back from Morio. There was something going on between Kakashi and Sayuri, but she didn't need her Byakugan to see a reluctance between the two that was holding them back from each other. Was it that Sayuri was dating Genma? Hinata thought and let her pale eyes fall to see Kakashi and Sayuri's hands were still entwined. The young Hyuga looked to her boyfriend's sensei and turned to walk to the blonde. She knew that look in his visible eye that was trained on Sayuri's smiling face, but it was clouded with hesitancy. It was then that Hinata would try to help the two in anyway she could during this mission. If they were all getting a holiday, she would try to make sure the Copy Ninja enjoyed it especially since he was one of the ones that helped her and Naruto get together.

When they arrived at the large, high-class onsen the three working ninja glanced at each other before entering. Morio decided to stay outside for the night, since it was a warm evening he knew he'd be comfortable. Sayuri stayed by the door and hesitantly put her hand out, letting it tap Kakashi's chest before settling on his shoulder. "Hatake-san would you be kind enough to lead me to the front desk?" she asked. Kakashi grinned behind his mask, she was playing a defenceless Lady well, and since she wasn't a ninja, she was not able to deal with being blind and would need assistance. Gently he place a hand on her shoulder and took her hand before walking inside and escorted her to the desk where a woman in a clearly expensive black silk kimono with red, white and gold embroidery stood. Her deep green eyes slid over the three ninja critically before they settled on Sayuri.

"May I help you?"

"I require two rooms, preferably adjoining but if it is not possible two separate but close to each other would be satisfactory." Sayuri smiled, her formal but respectful voice was strong. The woman looked her over; back straight, head high, even standing still the red haired woman held an air of grace and importance about her. The only problem was that she didn't make eye contact.

"Of course miss, one room for you and the other female and the second for the men?" she requested.

"Um…Lady Sayuri I think it would be best if Naruto and I shared a room and you and Kakashi-sensei shared a room. He is stronger than us and will be a better bodyguard for you at night." Hinata spoke up. On the way there, they decided that they would refer to Sayuri as 'Lady' while in public. Sayuri smiled.

"Good point Hinata." she said before turning her head towards the woman. "One female and one male for each room." she informed the woman who bowed low. Kakashi had seen the woman's eyes widen at the 'Lady Sayuri'. The Copy Ninja let his exposed eye fall back to the dark haired Hyuga…did she just want to share a room with Naruto? He hadn't thought their relationship had gotten to that level yet. But he reminded himself that Naruto and Hinata were adults and definitely committed and in love with each other so he wasn't going to question the suggestion of the room arrangements. Also Sayuri seemed happy with it, another reason why he didn't question it. Kakashi reached forward and gently took the room keys from the woman who frowned when Sayuri stared blankly ahead of her. Kakashi leaned forward and whispered to the woman and spoke.

"Sorry, but the Lady has no sight." he explained when she looked at him with a frown. Realisation hit the woman at the front desk and she looked at Sayuri who remained smiling softly. "Are the springs mixed or split between the men and women?" she asked with innocent curiosity, pretending not to have heard Kakashi's whisper.

"Ummm no lady there is a separate bathing area for the men and another area for the women." Sayuri nodded and turned towards Kakashi, her body pushing against his as her hands lightly moved across his chest and finally stopped on his shoulder. "Would you take me to my room please Hatake-san?" she requested in an innocent but formal voice. Kakashi could see her fighting the smirk that was trying to work her lips. For a moment he was frozen, staring at her lips and enjoying the feel of her body against his. Quickly clearing his mind, he placed his hand around her waist and gave an eye crease to the woman behind the desk before heading to the stairs to the room. Hinata placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled. "We should take a walk outside…keep a certain feline company for a while." she suggested. Naruto smiled, unaware that his girlfriend had other reasons for wanting to go outside, and nodded. The two turned and walked out of the onsen. Hinata inwardly sighed with relief. She knew something was going on between Kakashi and Sayuri but for it to actually progress or for anything to happen, she had to keep Naruto busy and avoid him from interrupting the two at all costs- he always seemed to interrupt people at the worst times.

Kakashi unlocked the room and walked in with Sayuri who seemed distant. Slowly he looked down at her. "Everything okay?" he asked softly. She blinked and nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Yeah…just thinking about going back home after all this time." she answered, reaching her hand out and swiping midair until her fingers brushed against the wall. Keeping her hand on the cool surface she moved out of Kakashi's hold with exaggerated slowness and caution. Slowly Sayuri took a step forward and the ninja watched her. It was during these moments that he saw just how vulnerable she was and got to see her as a blind person. Whenever she entered a hotel room or a place she was going to spend the night in or more she would do this; feel her way around the place without anyone's help. Kakashi wanted to take her hand and lead her around so she wouldn't bang into anything or fall but she was stubborn and refused any help. He took his eyes off her for one second to get his book from his pouch before he heard a bang and Sayuri let out a curse. His visible eye landed on her again to see she had knocked her foot against an ornate bedside table. Breathing through the pain and letting out a string of curses, she limped her way around the bed and to the other side of the room. "That sounded painful, you should sit down and rest before-" "Fuck!" Kakashi watched as Sayuri tripped after trying to walk on her sore foot added with his words, her leg seemed to give out and caused her to fall onto the ground. "you okay?" the copy ninja asked, knowing she wouldn't like it if he physically tried to assist her. He knew the routine by now. The response he got was a groan which made him lightly chuckle. His dark obsidian orb glanced over the top of his orange-jacketed book to see the ruby haired woman push herself up onto her knees and then her feet. Breathlessly and still having pain in her foot, Sayuri hobbled over to an armchair in the large luxury room and sank down, wincing. "Mahogany that thick is painful." she groaned. Kakashi walked over and knelt down, placing his book on the woman's lap he carefully took her ankle and inspected her feet. A large red mark covered her pale skin where she hit it and frowned. "You'll have a bruise but it's not serious." he told her.

"It hurts though…" she muttered, Kakashi looked up to see her lips curved into an annoyed pout and a light rose blush across her cheeks. "I hate this…I can fight a ninja no problem but my first time in a new room and I hurt myself. So pathetic…" she muttered.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Once you feel your way around a room once you can move with so much ease. You're very skilled and a very impressive woman Sayuri." he informed her, gently running his fingers over the red skin and gently gave it a massage hoping that it would soothe the pain.

"Yeah, tripping over nothing…very skilful…" she muttered in annoyance but sank back and relaxed against the seat as Kakashi rubbed her foot. Her eyes closed tightly, Kakashi looked to see like she was trying to concentrate on something.

"Is this helping?" he asked only to be answered with a nod. "Something bothering you? You've seemed sort of distracted since we came back from capturing Kosuke…" he noted. Sayuri's unseeing eyes opened slowly, her lips parted and a slow sigh came.

"It's nothing…it's just feeling too good to be true; Kosuke is captured, I'm going to be reunited with my family and I'm in l-" she cut herself off suddenly. "It all seems like I'm going to wake up at any moment and find myself still at that inn and unable to break out from Kosuke's hold." she said.

"You've been through a lot of shit in the last thirteen years, it's about time you get some good now. You deserve it." the Copy ninja told her, he frowned. What had she been about to say. She was in what? Love? That thought stopped him. Was she in love with Genma? When Naruto had mentioned him she did react a little oddly. Kakashi let his thoughts distract him, unknowingly he was still massaging Sayuri's foot. The woman's lower lip trembled and her hands fisted by her sides. The pain was long gone and now she was overcome with relaxation and the feeling of pleasure as the skilled hands of Kakashi worked on her foot.

A sudden noise snapped Kakashi out of his wandering thoughts. His visible eye slowly slid up to Sayuri and frowned. Was he imagining things? He could have sworn he heard her say something or make a noise. Her face was composed now though… he looked down as she slowly pulled her foot from his hold. "Thank you, the pain is gone now." she said with a smile. Clearing her throat she got to her feet and smoothed the fabric of her clothes and slowly made her way to the other half of the room that she was yet to make her way around. "Are you tired?" he asked, noting that she seemed stressed again and was slowly biting her lower lip in both anxiety and concentration.

"More tense than anything else…I'll go to the hot springs in a little while and hopefully that will help." she said.

"You'll need someone with you and Hinata has gone somewhere with Naruto."

"You could always use Naruto's Sexy Jutsu and become a woman to keep an eye on me if you really wanted…" she said in a playful voice.

"You know about Naruto's jutsu?"

"Course I do, everyone does." Sayuri grinned. Kakashi chuckled and stood.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to do that jutsu. I'd rather stay male."

"Aww, you'd rather stay male than get to share a bath in the Hot Spring with me?" she teased, letting her lips slip into a pout. The silver haired male smirked, her pout was adorable.

"I never said that, I only said I'd rather stay male." he corrected her. Sayuri merely smirked and ran her hands through her hair before she walked away from the wall, still uncertain of the room. She reached her hands out on either side of her, looking like an acrobat with no tightrope. Kakashi watched as she caught her foot under the thick but soft rug in the middle of the room. He saw her falling to the side and saw that if she fell at that angle she would hit herself off the coffee table. Swiftly, Kakashi caught her wrist and pulled her up, twirling her towards him in a sudden fluid movement. He Hadn't known what made him act so suddenly, his hand had shot out without even thinking about it. Her front landed against his chest, her free hand landing against the broad expanse of his chest. She tensed at their closeness and could feel the ninja's steady, strong heartbeat under her hand. Slowly she swallowed and curled her fingers, her unseeing eyes focussed in front of her. She could feel the intensity of Kakashi's gaze boring into her. Her lips pressed together into a firm line. "Lady Sayuri, you should be more careful…no one would want to see you harmed in anyway." he said in a low husky voice, his masked lips moved against the shell of her ear, the coarse fabric raked over her skin making her shiver and eyes close slowly. Kakashi smirked, he loved seeing her shiver in pleasure. "I will keep than in mind Hatake-san, although if I was a less trusting person I would be suspicious that you are using any excuse to keep me out of harm's way and keep me in your arms." she tried to keep her voice steady and formal but her words wavered slightly and she swallowed hard. Chuckling, Kakashi turned his mouth away from her ear and to the corner of her trembling lips. "Well then it's good you aren't overly suspicious, I'm merely doing my job and keeping your Ladyship safe." Sayuri let out a sharp gasp as she felt Kakashi's free hand move slowly against the soft skin of her lower back from under her top. "Some would say you're a little too eager about this mission…" she said in a groan, still able to be witty with him even as his masked lips moved against her jaw and hand made patterns and teasing motions against her back.

"I prefer the term…thorough. This is an important mission with an important target, one that needs my constant, undivided attention." he replied back smoothly beginning to trail his covered mouth down her neck. Sayuri trembled again and made to move out of his grip slowly and reluctantly. They hadn't done anything and she already felt flustered and breathless.

Kakashi regarded her with amusement and desire but allowed her to slip from him and pulled out his Icha-Icha casually as the door burst open with a blonde ninja rush over to them, not noticing the light blush on Sayuri's face or her top was a little out of place at the back. "Something wrong Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he watched Sayuri fix herself from the corner of his eye. The woman slowly pulled pins out of her hair, letting it all down before she headed out of the room and slowly downstairs looking for the way to the Hot Spring. Naruto beamed at his former teacher. "I wanted your advice on it…actually I was hoping for yours and Sayuri's but your's will be great." he said. Hinata pouted, as she sank into the steaming water of the Hot Spring and relaxed. She was annoyed that Naruto could have potentially ruined something happening between Kakashi and Sayuri but seeing as he had said it was important she let him go. Her pale lavender eyes blinked and she looked behind to see Sayuri walking towards the Hot Spring. A furious blush came over the Hyuga and turned away when the scarlet haired woman swiftly and casually pulled off her towel and stepped into the Hot Spring, taking some care so not to fall. A low moan came from her lips as the hot water covered her. Hinata watched as Sayuri lay her head back against the flat stone behind her. "Lady Sayuri, what is your home like? You mentioned rare flowers grow there. Could you describe them to me?" Hinata asked with genuine curiosity and excitement which made Sayuri smile. "It would be better for you to wait and see for yourself. But there is one flower that grows there that I loved as a child. They are called moonflowers. They are a beautiful silver and white that glow slightly at night and change through the cycle of the moon. During new moons they dim during the day and close at night. They are brightest during full moons. Such a wonderful smell as well." she smiled fondly. Hinata smiled back and nodded.

"I'll wait and get the full experience then…"

"The scenery is very romantic, especially the sunsets. It'll be a perfect place for you and Naruto to have some serious alone time, really sets the mood from what I've heard." the woman mused making Hinata blush and nearly slip under the water at her sudden statement.

"L-lady Sayuri. Yes I'm sure it'll be romantic b-but Naruto and I are…"

"Two young adults in love, you're the real deal I can tell. I'm sure you two want to take it slow but where we're going is full of people who don't know you or will judge you. Besides we'll be there for months so a lot can change during that time." Sayuri smiled, her head tilting back a little more. Some of her deep red hair slid from their pins and slipped into the hot water and over her shoulders.

"Will that be the same for you and Kakashi-san?" Hinata suddenly asked. The dark haired girl sensed the blank faced woman tense.

"What makes you think…"

"Since you walked into that office this morning, you and Kakashi-san have been acting differently towards each other. Something must have happened during that mission involving Kosuke." Hinata watched intently as Sayuri lifted her hand out of the water and ran it through her hair silently.

"Different how? I don't think anything was out of place or odd between Kakashi and I." she asked neutrally.

"I never said anything was odd. Just that your body language has shifted and the atmosphere between you two seemed really intense. Like you two didn't want to touch but at the same time did. Although you and Kakashi have always seemed to have had that type of air around each other only now it's seemed to increase a little and become more noticeable." Hinata continued. "The way he looks at you too, I've never seen him look at any other woman the way he looks at you…" Sayuri remained silent, her hand stilling in her hair. Quietly Hinata climbed out of the bath and wrapped her towel around her. "But like you said. We're going somewhere where you can't fully be judged and we are going to be there for a few months. Anything could happen." The young Hyuga said before leaving. Sayuri closed her eyes and sighed.

Sayuri slowly padded up the staircase and towards her room, tightening her robe around her. Turning the handle she entered her and Kakashi's room, raking her fingers through her damp locks. "Everything okay?" Kakashi's voice made her freeze, his voice alone sent a shiver up her spine and a blush threaten to paint her cheeks.

"Yes…I'm fine. The springs are very relaxing. I'm going to go to bed. Have you picked a side you want to sleep on?" she asked softly. Kakashi could hear the yawn in her voice. His book lay on his lap, forgotten as soon as she had come into the room.

"The side closest to the door." he told her with a smirk. On all of the missions they'd been on together they would fight over the right side of the bed. Sometimes it getting physical like it had during the Chunin exams. He was prepared for anything now, the argument over the bed was something he was used to and always expected. However he wasn't expecting Sayuri to nod, yawn and move to the bed. He frowned as Sayuri slid into the covers and lay down on the left side of the bed. He definitely hadn't seen that coming, she must have been very tired, that and the thought of going back home had no doubt put a strain on her. Silently Kakashi shut his book and got ready for bed, they'd have to get up early in the morning. The material of the robe that the inn provided for each guest was comfortable and soft. Kakashi glanced in the mirror, he contemplated putting his mask on and glanced to Sayuri who was lying on the bed, her breathing getting deeper and soft. "Keep it off…" she mumbled sleepily. "It's not like I'm going to see anything…" she added with a large yawn. Kakashi set his mask down on the bedside table next to his head band and slid into the large, soft bed. The Copy Ninja couldn't help but look at the woman in the bed with him as she slid into a deep sleep. Unable to stop himself, Kakashi reached out and gently pushed the locks of ruby from her face. His touch made a soft dreamy smile shape her soft lips. "G'nigh'…Kashi…." she murmured slowly and softly. Kakashi smirked and smiled as he shut off the light. "Goodnight…"

"You sure?" a gruff voice asked from the shadows.

"Yes positive. One of the ninja said 'Lady Sayuri'. It has to be her." a softer voice answered.

"Were you able to hear how long she's staying for?"

"No, the woman at the desk gave them the keys and that was it. Although I'm sure the ninja aren't stupid enough to prolong the journey. They wouldn't want the Lady to be put in danger…"the softer voice chuckled darkly.

"True, true. We'll keep an eye on them and strike when they are travelling again."

"We have to be careful though…Kakashi Hatake is with her."

"Looks like the Leaf is being very serious with a simple bodyguard mission."

"You know Lord Kurosawa, he'd pay anything if it meant a good job being done… and getting his daughter back safely after all this time requires the best."

"How does she look?"

"Like a lot of fun…" a sick laugh broke out between the two men as they hid in the shadows of the forest outside of the onsen while they waited for the morning to come.

Kakashi shot upwards in surprise, his hand over his nose. He blinked sleepily and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. His mismatched eyes fell to Sayuri who lay next to him, hand now on his pillow, her body now on his side of the bed. The ninja frowned tiredly. She must have slapped him in her sleep. He looked to see the large space on the remaining side of the bed. Sighing, he lay down again tiredly with a yawn and slowly slid Sayuri forward so he could reclaim his place. Sayuri groaned half in pleasure and half in annoyance while she slept, tiredly Kakashi watched her lips part and back arch slightly before she rolled onto her side, turning her back to him but managed to move back so she was against his chest. Kakashi smirked and let his arm drape over her as he relaxed and let sleep claim him. Inwardly he wished that the morning would come slowly so he could stay like this just for a little longer.


	18. Chapter 18

"It would have been nice to stay one more night…" Hinata mused, looking back to the Onsen shrinking into the distance as they continued through the forest.

"It was a nice place. Maybe we'll stay again on the way back." Kakashi mused, glancing to Sayuri from over his Icha-Icha. The red head was wearing the same style of silk thigh length kimono and black leggings. This time the silk was a pale jade and embroidered with black and silver thread. "Did you enjoy your stay Lady Sayuri?" he asked casually.

"Yes, thank you. It was a lovely place." she commented with a smile.

"Kakashi-san…we should be on the look out for rain coming our way…" Hinata said softly in an off hand comment. Kakashi smirked and nodded. Morio yawned as he padded silently next to Sayuri's feet. Naruto glanced to the left while Kakashi scanned the forest to the right. "Incoming!" Hinata called, the three jumped out of the way, Kakashi grabbed Sayuri as he jumped, pulling her out of the stream of kunai hitting the ground where they had once stood. Kakashi slowly got to his feet as Sayuri remained sitting on the grass, arms draped over her knees, her jaw clenched slightly. "I know, stay put." she muttered low enough so that only the Copy Ninja would hear. He chuckled and lifted his head band to show his sharingan as a large group of ninja appeared in the trees around them.

"Hand over Lady Sayuri and you'll be free to go. Accidents happen on missions all the time right?" one of the Rain ninja offered with a leering grin. Hinata's Byakugan eyes narrowed. "Give up now and you'll be free to go or anything that happens to you will be anything but an accident." Naruto spoke up with a smirk.

"Hatake-san, what's going on?" Sayuri's innocent voice lilted up to him. The masked ninja fought his smirk. Playing the distressed, confused Lady; smart.

"Is she deaf or something? You'd think it would be clear what's going on when I said 'hand her over'…"

"She's not deaf but she is blind." Kakashi told them in a matter of fact tone. "She can't see any of you or what we're doing. " he explained.

"Never heard that she was blind…makes everything a lot more easy…" one of the ninja grinned. Instantly they all lunged at each other, fighting and lunging. Most trying to get to Sayuri only to be blocked or drawn away from her by one of the Leaf Ninja attacking them. Kakashi glanced at Sayuri who hadn't moved even when a deflected kunai shot by her, missing her neck by less than a millimetre, however she had gathered her hair up into a high ponytail as the kunai skimmed by, coincidentally avoiding her locks being cut and flicked it all over her other shoulder. Kakashi swiftly dislocated the elbow of the ninja he was fighting and threw him down towards the ground, hearing the sickening snap of his neck as he awkwardly landed. That one was definitely dead. Without missing a beat, the copy ninja shot towards the ninja lunging for Sayuri. His arms connected around him and tackled him through the air and into the nearby river. Morio lounged idly in the tree branch above Sayuri's head, one of his front paws and one of his back ones dangled casually in the air while his tail flicked from side to side. The ninja hadn't noticed him and if they had they didn't regard him as any threat- probably the rich Lady's pet. His intent green eyes scanned the fight as he yawned leisurely to himself. Sayuri below him, lay her head back against the tree bark and yawned. It was annoying that she couldn't fight or do anything but getting to relax and maybe squeeze in a nap didn't sound like a bad idea. She let out a startled half-scream as something large and solid slammed into her and sent her across the forest floor, pinning her against a nearby tree. The Rain ninja, turned to see a wincing, winded Sayuri push him off and gasped for breath. Grinning the ninja grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to her feet as he stood. Sayuri had her teeth clenched and instinctively had her hand on top of the ninja's that was clawed roughly into her hair The ninja fighting stilled and looked. The leaf ninja watched warily while the remaining Rain ninja grinned. The ninja holding Sayuri wrapped his free arm around her waist, lowering his head next to hers. "You definitely do look like a lot of fun…what do you guys say? Have fun with her and then sell her off to the highest bidder?" he sneered. Kakashi and Naruto glared furiously Hinata looked nervous. They couldn't attack. One twist of the ninja's hand and he could snap Sayuri's neck if forced to. Bounty Hunters didn't care if their target was living or dead unless of course the bounty amount changed depending on the status of either. Kakashi hoped Sayuri's bounty as a Lord's daughter was higher while she was living. Under the scrutiny of the remaining Rain Ninja, none of them could move. Hinata let out a squeak of shock as the ninja nudged her legs apart slightly with his knee and began to roughly trail his hand over Sayuri's leg and up her inner thigh.

Watching the ninja touch her made Kakashi tremble with rage. They needed an opening, a distraction so they could regain the upper hand and get Sayuri away from them. He could see the anger on the woman's face. She wanted to fight so badly but couldn't due to the mission requirements. Her body was trembling, not from fear that the rain ninja mistook it but building rage and revulsion. "Is it raining?" she suddenly asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I felt water hit my cheek. Couldn't be your drool would it?" the question was posed in an innocent tone which made it sound all the more insulting to the Rain ninja. He growled out and roughly jerked her forward, positioning a knife against her throat and let her feel the sharp edge of the blade. "Think you can talk to me like that?" he snarled.

"Oh I'm sorry, do you get more polite conversation from the other people you kidnap for bounty?" Sayuri asked. Unable to hold it back Hinata burst out with a giggle. Naruto grinned while Kakashi fought a smirk from beneath his mask. The ninja growled out in anger at her. I would love to kill her but that would lessen the bounty considerably. "You better shut your trap!" he snapped, pressing the blade harder to draw a small trickle of blood.

"Follow your own advise, I'm going to pass out from the smell soon." Sayuri deadpanned, lightly waving her hand in front of her nose to try and clear the air. "I can tell why you'd want to rape me. No one would willingly go near you. Although I suppose it's a good thing I'm blind…" she continued, more to herself than him. Kakashi could see the vein along the side of the ninja's forehead rise, showing his evident anger. He glanced to the Rain ninja. They were just as motionless as the leaf. They wouldn't interfere, not wanting to say or do the wrong thing. Helpless, they watched Sayuri insult her captor, although why she was getting him angrier was beyond him. What exactly was she planning? "If you know what's good for you-"

"I'd keep my mouth shut, I know. Your odour does seem to have some sort of taste to it at such a close range…I'm thinking onions, pickles and cheese." she mused lightly. Snarling loudly now, the man dragged the blade tip down to draw a line of blood from her smooth neck.

"You sound like a dog or some other type of beast…you have the smell and sound down to a tee. But have you got the looks? Hatake-san…is this man holding me hairy and dirty too?" she called out. Kakashi looked at the ninja who let out a roar and threw Sayuri to the ground. She hit the earth and kicked his ankle sharply before scrambling away blindly. As soon as Sayuri was released, the Leaf ninja sprang into action and resumed their fight with the remaining Rain ninja. Kakashi understood now, the Rain ninja couldn't kill her unless he wanted to change his bounty but if she angered him enough he'd move to attack regardless. He glanced to see Sayuri at the river edge, awkwardly cleaning the cut on her neck.

Soon enough all of the ninja had been defeated. By the time they had finished, it was past midday and Sayuri was lying at the river edge, feet in the water and Morio on her lap, both completely content. Sayuri was even sleeping upon closer inspection. "It was a little careless of her to badmouth those guys wasn't it?" Naruto asked. "But funny."

"I'm guessing she knew she was more use to them alive and could talk to them anyway she wanted in hopes that he'd throw her or knock her to the ground to give us an opening." Kakashi explained looking over her. Carefully, Kakashi bent over and lifted Morio before passing the dozing-or just lazy- cub over to Hinata. With even more care he bent over and lifted Sayuri into his arms. Gently he slid her back and positioned the sleeping woman onto his back. Her cheek lay on his shoulder, head facing his neck while one of his hands held her wrists and the other had her ankles. Her scarlet hair draped down his chest and her slow, deep breathing caressed against his clothed neck which hid the sudden goosebumps that broke out where her breath touched. The three continued their walk in pleasant silence, hoping to get to the border before it got too dark. He stiffened slightly as he heard Sayuri moan and mumble something in her sleep. His dark eye fell to the side to see her move her head lightly across his shoulder while she shifted against him. "When will we reach the Thunder Country?" Naruto asked suddenly, Kakashi looked to the blonde. "We'll hopefully reach the border to the Fire Country tonight or early tomorrow depending if we're attacked again." he explained. "Then it'll take another two and a half days to reach the Thunder Country. Which will lead us on our final day and a half to reach the coast and ship to take us to the island."

Naruto nodded and continued to walk, looking at Hinata who held a curled up Morio in her arms. The cub snored lightly and let his tail twitch occasionally. Kakashi tried not to chuckle as he heard Sayuri mumble 'No, it I can't do that on Thursday's…' in a low breathless tone that only he could hear. It was surprising that Sayuri was the type to talk in her sleep. Hearing the things she said was somehow more entertaining that Icha-Icha which he couldn't read while he carried her. However he tensed as her hands moved across his chest in a slow, sensual way and her hips rolled slightly as though she was trying to press herself more against him. The sudden low, pleasured moan made his eye widen. He glanced to Naruto and Hinata they were busy talking to each other, too caught up in each other's company to know what was going on. "Kakashi…" his head whipped to see the sleeping head of Sayuri on his shoulder. A dreamy smile on her tempting lips as she slept. Hearing her say his name made his mouth instantly dry and his heart beat faster. Another moan drifted from the back of her throat. The copy ninja couldn't help but think that this woman was going to be the death of him someday. He felt her forehead press into his shoulder before he watched her eyes slowly peel open and unseeingly stare at him. The emptiness of her ice blue eyes made his chest tighten. He knew it was foolish but he wished that Sayuri would make eye contact with him and look at him someday. He knew she was blind and that it would never happen but he couldn't help but imagine how beautiful those eyes of hers would be if she could see.

"Kakashi?" she asked with a yawn, completely to her moaning his name but still seemed to get a reaction from him.

"Yeah, have a nice sleep?" he asked with a soft chuckle. He watched her yawn again and nod.

"Mmm, wait… where are my shoes?" she asked. It was only then that Kakashi looked down to see her bare feet.

"I have them." Hinata spoke up from in front of them. Sure enough in her free hand that wasn't wrapped around Morio, dangled her strapped, heeled sandals. Nodding, Sayuri set her chin on Kakashi's shoulder and yawned again.

"I thought you didn't like people carrying you?" Kakashi mused, Sayuri smirked.

"I don't recall ever saying that Hatake-san. I'm not fit enough for all this walking and running long distances like you ninja. Besides if you don't want to carry me I sure one of your other team-mates would be happy to." she mused in her formal tone again. Kakashi chuckled at her.

"You're really taking advantage of this aren't you?"

"No… I'd never manipulate a situation like this, there's no need to. I'm merely enjoying this break, even if I can't join in on the action." she said "although maybe it's you who is taking advantage of me and my kind nature. You seem to be enjoying carrying me Hatake-san…any reason why?" she proposed to him.

"I'd never take advantage of a woman, however I merely took the opportunity of carrying you and I am thoroughly enjoying it." he explained to her with a grin to see her cheeks had a soft pink tint to them. "Did you have a nice dream?" he suddenly asked, watching Sayuri's lips fold into a frown.

"Why? What makes you think I was dreaming?"

"The fact that you were talking in your sleep…and then began to moan my name. Those were my clues."

"I was not moaning or talk in my sleep." she gasped out, her cheeks becoming a deeper pink.

"Hey, I believed you when you told me I felt you up in my sleep. You should believe me when I said that you talked and moaned." he smirked.

"I know, I couldn't hear you lie but I wanted to make sure…" she muttered, embarrassed.

"You can tell when someone lies?" Kakashi asked suddenly. Sayuri nodded.

"When someone lies there are usually tells in their face that can deceive…but when you have just the voice to focus on, a lie can be picked up on."

"Okay then, let's see how good you are. I'll tell you three things. One is a lie, you pick it out. Hmm, let's see: I was trained by the fourth Hokage, I nearly had to marry the daughter of a Lord in the Grass Country because he had caught me in bed with her and I once forgot to wear my mask on a mission. Which was the lie?" he smirked.

"The statement about only giving me one lie was your first lie, your second lie was that the daughter's father was from the Grass country and you never forget your mask. So in all you only told me one truth." Sayuri answered after a few moments of silence. Kakashi's visible eye widened at her as she grinned triumphantly. She really was an interesting woman with a lot of surprises.

"I was wondering if you could explain your jutsu to me…" Kakashi began suddenly. "The Forest of Dreams one…"

"It's a mix of ninjutsu and genjutsu. The mist and trees are real which fools the opponent into thinking that what happens next is real to. The scent the mist has dulls their senses and then genjutsu hits them. What they see are their own dreams and fantasies, they create their own illusions and makes them stay in the forest. The longer your stay in there, the longer you'll be unconscious for."

"That's very interesting. So how do they become unconscious? In your fight with Sora you didn't do anything to him."

"The mist over powers them and knocks them out after a period of time, depending on their tolerance of it but soon enough they will pass out."

"Why didn't you make it nightmares?"

"Because when people have nightmares they can't wait to wake up. Dreams are more tempting and you never want to wake up from great dreams. My jutsu requires the person to stay in there for as long as possible to ensure my victory."

"So why can't I copy it if it's a mix of genjutsu and ninjutsu?"

"Because the trees and mist is something only my family can create. The trees are a solidified form of the black swamp, the mist is a gas form of the swamp too."

"So you have a blood-line limit?"

"Yes, over the black swamp element." Sayuri said with a smile. Kakashi watched her silently with curiosity. So far he'd only seen two black swamp jutsu. It made him wonder what other jutsu Sayuri and her family could do.

"How's Hinata doing?" Sayuri asked from her seat on the boat. Her back leaned against the metal railing as it moved slowly towards Flower Island. "Still being sick…" Naruto replied with a concerned frown. He hadn't known his girlfriend was sea sick. But then again, none of the Leaf ninja had a lot of experiences on boats. Usually they could run across the water to reach their destination if they needed to. "I wanted to stay with her…" Naruto continued as he leaned against the railing next to Kakashi who was trying to focus on the words of his book and not the rolling waves. To be perfectly honest, the Copy ninja was beginning to feel a little nauseas and the talk of Hinata being ill didn't help matters. "How come we're the only ones on the boat?" Naruto asked curiously.

"So we wouldn't have to constantly watch Sayuri. This way we know no one is on the boat looking to capture her or do her any harm." Kakashi answered.

"That and not many people go when a storm is about to strike." the boat driver said from his place behind the wheel. Sayuri looked in the direction of the man.

"Storm?" she repeated.

"Yeah, it'll be here by this evening." he answered as Morio leapt onto Sayuri's lap and snuggled in close to her. Kakashi watched Sayuri absently entwine her fingers with the black fur and gently pet him. Their journey to this boat had been long and tiring. Bounty hunters and rouges ambushed them -or tried to- on their way. Grass, Mist, Cloud, Rain and Stone were the main ones that popped up along the way. It seemed word of Sayuri's arrival had spread and it was right for Lord Kurosawa to hire some ninja to protect his daughter. However Tsunade should have sent more than three ninja. Naruto whipped around and broke out into a wide eyed, wide grinned fox-like expression. His blue eyes sparkled with unrestrained excitement. Slowly, Kakashi slid his visible eye across to see what the boy was looking at. There in front of them was the once distant outline of Flower Island now looming closer. Already he could make out a mountain face but in front of it was bright green foliage and a pale but beautiful beach. "I take it we're almost there…" Sayuri said softly. Her voice wavered slightly, Kakashi looked to her, seeing worry, sadness, longing but overall happiness on her face. "Is it beautiful?"

"Yes it is…" Kakashi mused, but he wasn't looking at the Island. Sayuri was used to telling what way people were looking while they talked and she could tell the Copy ninja was looking at her. His words made her blush and turn her head away, the action making him chuckle.

"Hey there are two things on the beach!" Naruto called, squinting to try and make them out.

"Mama and Papa!" Morio called out happily.

"You have more than two panthers?" Kakashi asked, looking as Sayuri stood with Morio in her arms.

"You have more than one dog to summon." she answered with a shrug.

"What are their names?" Naruto asked, watching the two panthers get closer into view. They seemed to be pacing in the sand.

"Asami and Renzo."

"Renzo was there for your chunin exam, correct? Does that mean you haven't summoned Asami in a long time?" Kakashi asked.

"No I summoned Asami for my month of training during the chunin exams. She helped me perfect the Forest of Dreams jutsu." Sayuri explained as the boat came to a stop at the wooden pier at the beach. Naruto lifted an uneasy Hinata off the boat and set her on the wooden, stable surface but kept an arm firmly around her waist. Kakashi stepped off and gently took Sayuri's wrist to steady her off the boat. "Thank you." she said with a warm smile, all trace of forced formality that she had used during the week was now stripped from her face. He watched as she straightened her clothes and began to walk forward. Naruto was too busy seeing to Hinata and Kakashi was too busy thanking the boat driver for them to anticipate what happened next. Two large flashes of black shot by both of the corners of their eyes only for it to be swiftly followed by a startled shriek and a loud splash of water. The boat driver's eyes were wide with shock which made Kakashi whip around to see Sayuri was no longer on the pier. He blinked and looked over the edge to see Sayuri breaking through the surface with a choking gasp. One of the masses of black leapt up onto the wooden platform and let Sayuri kneel on the ground choking for air. She was drenched and shaking like- it reminded Kakashi of when he had to give his nindogs baths for the first time as pups. They were shaking uncontrollably, unused to the experience. "M'lady…Renzo and I are so sorry." a female voice came from the panther on the pier.

"It's okay Asami…I'm happy to see you again and to be back home. But the next time you're excited and wish to tackle me…please do it away from large masses of water." Sayuri said a little breathless, pushing her wet hair from her face. The male panther, landed onto the pier next to Asami and both bowed their heads. Renzo cast his gaze over to Hinata. "Is the young Lady in need of healing?" he asked.

"N-no…I was seasick. I'll be fine after a little while." Hinata asked, blushing furiously. "Thank you though…" she said slowly lowering her head. Not wanting to bow in case of being sick again. Asami laughed softly.

"That's probably the reason Morio's run off…" she mused. Kakashi blinked and looked around, the cub was no longer with them. Sayuri slowly got to her feet. The way her clothes now clung to her body and the way the droplets of water ran down her made him unable to tear his gaze away. The only thing that managed to break him out of his current train of thought was the shaking of her body and pale expression on her face. "Are you alright?" he asked, putting his arm around her out of instinct. He only turned his head to see the boat disappearing towards the Thunder Country.

"The Lady does not like large masses of water. She has a fear of it, always had before she lost her sight." Renzo replied softly, looking as Sayuri pressed her face into his chest and moved closer to the warm he was radiating. There was always something comforting about Kakashi's presence. Kakashi frowned.

"You swim in the rivers all the time."

"Yeah but I don't go too far in and try to be ask quick as possible. Besides everyone has a fear and mine happens to be large masses of water. Nearly being drowned by Kosuke didn't help that either." she said against him. His eyebrows rose as he looked at her. She had been uneasy of Kosuke when he abused her and she hated being seen as vulnerable or weak because she couldn't see. But this was really the first time he'd seen Sayuri this shaken and afraid. "We should probably start moving to the village. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can change." she said from against him before she moved and began to walk. Morio appeared on Naruto's shoulder with a bright orange flower in his mouth, it was one that none of the Leaf ninja had ever seen before. "Hinata, it's for you. It'll make you feel better." the young cub said with a grin as he moved his head forward and dropped the flower into her hand. Slowly Hinata lifted the flower, eyes wide at its beauty and sniffed it. A low, calming sigh escaped her lips and she smiled brightly. "It smells gorgeous." she said with a smile. "It's made me feel a lot better." she said with surprise and awe.

"It's been known to do that. If anyone feels nauseous or overcome with stress they smell that flower and it makes them feel as good as new." Asami explained as they walked.

The walk through the beach and into the trees made the Leaf Ninja look around with interest and curiosity. It was like a tropical jungle, unlike the forest in Konoha or any of the ones around the Fire Country. "Woah! This place is great…a beach and a jungle and we haven't even gotten to your village yet Sayuri!" Naruto grinned, slipping the orange flower into Hinata's hair with a smile as she blushed. Sayuri smiled. "Yes, and the village is in the middle of the mountains so there are the valleys to admire too. You three will be here for a long time so you can fully experience this place to the fullest." she answered, secretly wishing she could see everything again. Her memories were all she had that they were now faded or blurred. Kakashi squeezed her hand as though trying to comfort her. The copy ninja hadn't known why he took her hand and gave it a squeeze but he hadn't been happy to see the blank expression on her face or the way her lower lip jutted out slightly in disappointment. He watched as she gave his hand a slight squeeze back but continued to hold it as they walked. A sudden noise caught their attention, everyone but Sayuri and the panthers of course.

"It's a monkey, no need to get jumpy…" the ruby haired woman grinned, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her. No one could prove the noise startled him, it was his word against Sayuri's if it ever came down to it. "Monkeys?" Hinata asked, her eyes brightening and immediately activated her Byakugan to see if she could spot any near by. Sayuri smiled as she felt something land onto her shoulder. A pair of tiny hands fell to her face curiously. She lifted her free hand and petted the monkey before it leapt off of her. From the sound of Hinata's giggles and coos, Sayuri could tell that the money was cute, small and now with the Hyuga.

After walking through the jungle they were greeted with the step, jagged mountains that seemed to curve around the to other end of the island. Sayuri pulled her hand free gently from Kakashi's as he, Naruto and Hinata were left staring up at it. The three blinked and looked to see the panthers and Sayuri beginning to climb. Kakashi cast his gaze up at Sayuri and couldn't help but smirk. He had a great view but knew not to stare too long as both Naruto and Hinata were beginning to climb and he didn't want to be left behind. "Be careful this mountain has loose rocks and if you're careful you will fall." Renzo warned.

"So is this the only way to the Village?" Naruto asked.

"No but since you are all ninja, you can handle this climb. Plus it makes for great exercise." Sayuri said with a bright tone, grabbing the ledge above her with both hands before she pushed herself up and into the air. Back flipping in the air, she let one foot push off a second ledge and let it force her higher up. Kakashi watched her twist and land, sitting perfectly on the edge of the part of the mountain. "There's no need for you to wait. You can keep going and we'll catch up." the copy ninja told her, the heat and steep climb was indeed good exercise and was making him sweat a little. He watched Sayuri grin widely. "But I can't go any further without you." she said as the three remaining ninja came to the ledge she was sitting on.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't need to climb anymore. Well you can but it won't get you anywhere near the village." She explained, getting to her feet. She turned and walked straight for the jagged mountain face. Hinata was about to grab her but watched as Sayuri lifted her palm glowing with chakra as she pressed it to the rocks. As soon as her hand connected with the solid rock it began to melt and fell down the edge of the mountain until there was a large hole. "Solidified black swamp to hide the real entrance to the village?" Kakashi asked, gaining a smirk from Sayuri as the panthers entered first followed by Naruto and Hinata then Kakashi. Sayuri remained to close the hole. "There are a lot of tricks in this mountain to confuse foreign ninja that want to attack. Only one group succeeded and that was because they followed Jiraiya who didn't go the mountain way."

"Well how else did he get here?"

"He went around the mountain and through the tunnels to reach the marsh. We've climbed the mountain to get to the marsh. Either way it isn't easy unless you live here." Sayuri answered as they walked down a sloped tunnel.

"I take it the marsh is the hardest part of getting to the village?" he asked.

"Remember my fight with Naruto?" she asked with a grin in her tone.

"No! Not that stuff again!" Naruto yelped, making Sayuri laugh.

"If it's black swamp, why is it the Marsh valleys?" Hinata spoke up.

"It was all marsh in the valleys before my ancestors came and created the village. To make sure it was safe they made a large swamp to protect it from attack. So the village is hidden in the marsh valleys but has extra protection of the element that only my family can control."

"So I take it none of the leaders of this village can be outside your family?" Kakashi asked.

"That's right. Without a Kurosawa to rule, the black swamp can't be controlled which will bring problems. But I don't think that will ever happen."

"So how does it protect the village exactly?" Hinata asked.

"You'll see." Sayuri smiled as they walked out of the tunnel. What greeted the leaf ninja was a large expanse of black matter, gazing across from the matter was the large and beautiful village. Kakashi moved to step forward but Sayuri stopped him. "Don't stand on it. Naruto, Hinata you'll have to sit on Asami and Renzo. Kakashi, you can either sit on them or hold onto me." she said. Naruto glanced at the panthers and sat on Renzo's waiting back while Hinata sat on Asami. Kakashi looked at Sayuri, hoping it wasn't a trick. But then he recalled Naruto's fight. He was slowly dragged down into the swamp and had no way of escaping, he slipped his arm around her waist, staying close. Kakashi glanced at Hinata who was staring at the swamp with wide eyes, her Byakugan activated.

"There's chakra everywhere…and bodies." she gasped.

"Yes, but those are decades old. Not many ninja try attacking us now." Asami explained as the panthers began to walk across the black surface along with Sayuri. Kakashi unsteadily looked at his own feet. He wasn't sinking…that was a relief. Experimentally he removed his hand from the woman only to find himself immediately begin to sink into the thick mass beneath him. Sharply he grabbed Sayuri, watching as she rolled her eyes and helped him out.

"Satisfied?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Just curious…and yes I'm satisfied." he said, pulling her close as they kept walking. Morio seemed to be entertained with jumping about the swamp, splashing those around them with the thick substance. "So how can the panthers cross? And if it's only your family that can cross by walking, how do civilians and other ninja in the village do it?" Kakashi asked throwing her a curious glance which turned into a pair of narrow mismatched eyes when she smirked and tilted her head back. "That's a secret, Hatake-san but you're more than welcome to try and get the information out of me through any means you find necessary. " she grinned playfully at him. Kakashi smirked at her. Challenge accepted.

Hinata and Naruto looked around the village curiously and watched as animals casually moved through the village along with animals. "Animals were here before this village was. We all live together harmoniously. Most of the animals here have contracts with the ninja here." Asami told the Leaf Ninja who had looked both curious and shocked to see a grizzly bear walking down the street with a four year old laughing happily from it's seat on the animal's back. "That can't be!" a voice called in shock. Kakashi sensed Sayuri tense. Slowly she turned, a warm smile lighting her face. "Sayuri, it is you!" they all watched as a dark haired man with sharp features ran over and wrapped his arms tightly around the woman. He pressed his face into her hair, pulling back as she lifted her hands to feel his face. "Hideaki…" she breathed with a warm, astonished smile. "You've gotten taller than me…it's about time if I'm honest, you were short as a kid…"she grinned. "Tomio told me you got yourself a girlfriend and a summoned animal." she mused.

"Y-yeah…I summon owls now. And about the girlfriend-"

"I'm not jealous. We were young and thirteen years is very long. I would have hit you if you hadn't moved on. None of you knew if I was alive or not. Besides we wouldn't have worked out as a serious relationship." she interrupted with a grin, lightly tapping his head. "Did you think I was going to be mad?" she asked.

"No…but you don't know who it is yet."

"Our other team-mate Nina?"

"How did you….?"

"It was obvious you always liked her." Sayuri grinned before turning to face the Leaf Ninja. "Hideaki, was my team mate when we were genin. First boyfriend…we went out for a grand total of eight days!" she announced with a dramatic sigh, laughing as Hideaki nudged her playfully. "Where's Nina anyway?"

"On a mission with her squad. They should be back in the next week or so. "

"SARI!" a loud voice shouted suddenly. Hideaki leapt back suddenly as a blur of brown and red tackled Sayuri from behind. The leaf ninja blinked in shock as the woman they were meant to bodyguard tumbled to the floor, being pinned by a young man who looked to be about Naruto's age, possibly younger. Immediately Sayuri, hooked her leg around one of the man's leg and threw herself forward, holding the struggling person in a headlock. "Kazu…you must be better than that." the red head chastised him, firmly locking her legs around his to stop him from getting up or trying to kick her. His hands were busy trying to pull her arm from his neck.

"It's like you haven't left…" a voice mused. Kakashi looked to see Lord Kurosawa standing next to Hideaki with a grin. Sayuri laughed happily. "That's because I remember you, Hideaki and Kazu here. But everything else is making me nervous." Sayuri admitted beginning to ruffle her brother's hair.

"Don't worry, we're all here to help." Hideaki told her warmly.

"Us too!" Naruto called cheerfully throwing his arms around Hinata happily. Kakashi chuckled and looked around the village with a smile. This was going to be an interesting holiday.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Okay, I'm back and so so sorry for not updating sooner but with school finishing and finding myself without my laptop to write all kept me from bring you all this next chapter. I will be updating a whole lot more now and I apologize if this chapter is short, it just seemed to be the right moment to stop ^^  
Also I am going to be publishing a new story; a KibaxOC one so if you are interested keep your eyes out for it. Any way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, can't believe the next on will be number twenty!**

**-Erreki xx**

After a long day of travelling, Kakashi was glad to finally sit down and relax. It was mid afternoon when he left the bathroom connected to his room after a long shower. Well not just his room. It was decided to keep up with the bodyguard situation. Meaning Kakashi would stay in the same room as Sayuri. Something the masked ninja didn't argue with. Naruto and Hinata had gone out for a tour of the town and surrounding area with Sayuri's father and brother. He sensed no one else in the manor. From what he could tell it was just him and Sayuri. He cast his visible eye down to her. Feeling his stare her lips curved into a smile. "Something wrong?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, it's very peaceful here. I haven't had a holiday in a very long time and the ones I have had were never for over a month like this one is." he said as she felt her way around her new room. Sayuri gave a small laugh. "It'll probably fly by, no doubt there will be a lot for you to see and do. It's best if you embrace it rather than dwell on a whole month off." she advised. "There are a lot of good looking women around, I'm sure one will get your attention." she added. Kakashi threw her a look.

"How would you know about how the women look?"

"I grew up here, remember? It's common knowledge that someone foreign to you will be more attractive." she shrugged. He watched her silently as she walked next to the wall, still coming to terms with the layout. Kakashi was suddenly in front of her, his hand on the wall to stop her from moving any further.

"Is Lady Kurosawa jealous at the thought of me being with another woman?"

"Why should I be? You and I only slept together once." she spoke sharply. Kakashi chuckled and positioned his body so his chest was against her side. Slowly he leaned in. "That doesn't answer my question."

"That's such a coincidence because it wasn't meant to." she muttered, instinctively leaning away as he leaned forward.

"Isn't it a little hypocritical though? I mean if you were jealous of the idea of me being with another woman." he asked in a dark, smooth tone.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked with narrowed, unseeing eyes. Kakashi chuckled.

"Genma is what I mean. You get to be jealous of the idea of me being with another woman but I'm not allowed to be jealous of actually seeing you with another man- one of my close friends mind you." Sayuri raised her eyebrows. "You are jealous of Genma?" she asked.

"Yes. Because he has you anytime he wants and I've had to spend so long watching you two together." Kakashi admitted "And it's especially annoying because he's a close friend and I've never been jealous before." he muttered. Sayuri was silent and frowned before replying. "It's not like you've done anything about it though…" Kakashi frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you knew Genma and I weren't serious and yet you never tried to…." she trailed off slowly. "I mean if it wasn't for me making the move of kissing you in that hotel room, you would have done nothing, right?" she continued. Kakashi chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, I might not have done any of that then…" he admitted. "But what if I made a move now?" he questioned, dipping his head so that his masked lips rested against the shell of her ear. "What then?"

He felt her stiffen against him. "That's a big 'what if', depends on how good your move was…" she said casually. The masked ninja smirked before he turned Sayuri to face him fully. In one movement, his mask was down and his lips captured Sayuri's. Just like the last time they kissed, a jolt shot through him. Some sort of electric spark. The silver haired ninja pinned her against the wall, his fingers threading into her scarlet locks while his other hand lay on her hip, pulling her as close as was humanly possible.

"Hey Kaka-sensei!" Naruto's booming voice called from somewhere in the estate and by the sounds of things he was coming closer. Using his ninja skills, Kakashi pulled his mask up and sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room. He pulled out his orange jacketed book and opened it at a random page. He glanced to see Sayuri continuing to feel her way around the room before his mismatched eyes fell on the page in front of him. A few seconds later, the door burst open. "N-Naruto you shouldn't barge in! It's not polite…" the soft voice of Hinata came from behind the grinning blonde.

"Huh? Oh yeah I suppose not. Sorry!" he said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "But listen! There's a bear in the street dancing with a wolf and a ton of other animals and some of the townspeople! How cool is that!"

"That would be the festival…" Sayuri mused, stopping by the bed post. "When a ninja in our village sign the contract with their summoned animal they dance together to show their bond. Ninja who already have their animals join in too."

"So you danced with your panthers?" Hinata asked with a smile.

"Only Renzo." Sayuri smiled. "You could all go down and join in. Kakashi you have a summon animal too right?" she asked. Naruto snorted, he couldn't imagine Kakashi dancing with Pakkun. In fact he couldn't imagine his teacher dancing at all. Kakashi glanced over at Naruto who looked away innocently. "Dancing isn't much of my thing." the masked ninja replied simply. Sayuri grinned and moved away from the bed. "Watching dancing is though…" she mused, referring to the club she had to dance at until they caught Kosuke. Kakashi watched her silently, thoughts of seeing her dance in that outfit at the club and the thoughts of what happened after that raced through his head. "I'm sure my family are there…"

"They are, your brother is with the bear."

"My mother is the wolf and my father is the lion." Sayuri smiled. "Come on bodyguard. We're going to watch the dancing…well you all can." she corrected herself with a sad smile. Kakashi looked at Sayuri silently. He felt sorry for her. Everyone took their senses for granted, even he did. "If that is what Lady Kurosawa wishes." he said smoothly as he rose and headed to the door with her. Along with Naruto and Hinata they left the manor and to the street where the dancing continued strongly. A group of civilians sat on the top of a wall playing their instruments happily. Kakashi had never seen anything like it. The sky was a blend of colours and paper lanterns glowed happily in the streets, above all of the ninja, animals and civilians dancing. The masked ninja smiled seeing children run around happily, trying to get the best view of the dancing. Spectators looked with awe and envy at those dancing with the animals. "Lady…" a voice greeted deeply from beside him. Kakashi looked to see the male panther sitting next to Sayuri, his head reaching an inch or two above her waist. "Renzo." Sayuri smiled letting her hand rest on the animal's head. "Brings back memories…" the panther mused, Sayuri laughed softly and nodded. "would my lady like to join me for another dance….Morio is about somewhere and has complained that he wasn't around for our first one." he chuckled. Sayuri smiled softly. "Do you really want to dance with me Renzo?" The panther merely flicked his tail and lowered his head. "It would be an honour." he answered. Kakashi who had been listening, watched curiously as Renzo and Sayuri walked to join the others. "Naruto! Sayuri-san is going to dance!" Hinata said excitedly, tugging at her boyfriend's sleeve. The kyuubi-container had currently been interested in the stalls of food but whipped his head around when Hinata spoke. They all watched as Sayuri danced with Renzo amongst the large group of people and creatures. The more they watched the more they spotted the similarities between the human and their animal partners. The dancers with feline counterparts were agile and graceful. Dancers with large, bulky animals still held some elegance but were more direct and charging in their steps. Those that danced with birds- those with bright and exotic plumage especially- danced proudly and confidently. Halfway through Sayuri's dance, Morio jumped out of nowhere and landed on Sayuri's shoulder. Laughing happily, she lifted the cub into her arms and continued to dance. When the current song finished and the crowd finished cheering, Sayuri's father stood up on the wall with the instrument players, causing hush to fall through the street. "As usual, a wonderful event. But this time. I'm taking this opportunity to announce my retirement now and welcome my daughter Sayuri back to the Village after being missing for so long." at that the crowd cheered happily. "She will only be leader of this wonderful place for a month so we will make it a happy time for her. After that, my son, Kazuhiko will be of age and succeed me as the official Lord of the Village Hidden in the Marsh Valleys. This night will now be a festival marking all this happenings so let us celebrate!" he called out. After that the music began and all of the civilians enjoyed the night.

Kakashi stood next to one of the streetlamps, watching Naruto and Hinata dance with the other couples in the street. The animals had either disappeared or stayed back to watch the festivities now. He looked to the side of him and nearly jumped when he saw that Sayuri was standing next to him. "Enjoying the party?" she asked with a smile, keeping her head level and seemingly directing her question to his chest. "Yes, it's a nice village with nice people. The dancing with animals is especially interesting." he replied with a smile. Sayuri grinned. "Yeah, it's only done here I guess. I remember the first time I did it…it was so long ago too. I've really missed this place." she sighed with a smile. "Do you want to go back? You aren't into the whole party thing are you?" she asked.

"Not really but I'll stay if you wish." Kakashi answered.

"Nah it's fine. I got to dance so I'm happy. Besides, my job as the Village leader begins tomorrow morning. An early night will do me good." she mused as she walked with Kakashi back to the manor while everyone else continued with the festivities. However all talk of an early night were gone as soon as they were back in their room, Sayuri pulled him into a long and heated kiss after saying that they had some unfinished business to attend to since Naruto interrupted them. Kakashi couldn't have agreed more and it wasn't long before they found the bed to continue such business. Moonlight fell through the gap in the curtains and fell over Sayuri's bare back and shoulders as she slept soundly. The Copy ninja couldn't help but stare at her peaceful, beautiful face. Feeling wide awake, even after amazing sex he climbed out of the bed, careful not to wake Sayuri and pulled on his underwear and plain black slacks. He wandered over to the bookcase at the other end of the room. It had caught his eye when he first entered but ignored it until now. His mismatched eyes scanned the dimly lit spines of the books. Some were for younger children and teenagers- which he reasoned were still there because Sayuri had disappeared when she was a teenager- the rest were a mix of different genres. It seemed Sayuri loved reading as a child when she wasn't out on missions or training. A long book then caught his eye. A photo album. Curious, he pulled it out and went to sit on the sofa. He peeled open the soft leather cover and looked to the first page of images. The first were of Sayuri after she'd been born and slowly progressed into her first month and so on. Kakashi took in the photos with a small smile, as she aged before him; shots of days out, birthdays, random images in the manor or out in the gardens. Then he came to one of Sayuri when she no older than ten, grinning proudly at the camera with her headband on. Kakashi was drawn to the bright blue eyes in front of him. He silently thought of her eyes now, still a capturing colour but now unseeing and lacking the sparkle that they once had. The silver haired man continued through the album, only seeing Sayuri's face in the group shots when they appeared and smiling wide when Sayuri was caught off guard or caught doing something embarrassing in some photos. And finally he reached the final photo on its own on a page that was no where near the middle of the album. Long scarlet hair free and twisting in the air, hands raised and poised elegantly on either side of her head. A black skirt swirled and emerald top covering her as she was captured mid dance with a younger looking Renzo. One leg was lifted and kicked out in mid-movement. However what really caught Kakashi was Sayuri's expression. Her gaze was fixed solely on the feline partner on the ground, long lashes against her lightly flushed cheeks while a wide, free and happy grin shaped her lips, completely unaware of the camera pointed at her. The people and the animals in the background where blurred into an array of different colours. Kakashi glanced to the edge of the photo where some of the spectators had been captured; and there was a face that he knew well. Jiraiya was there and watching the dancers over thirteen years ago. This brought a whole new meaning to this captured moment and Sayuri's expression. This was probably the last time she'd properly been in her town, amongst her friends and family before she was taken and became blind. That unsuspecting, happy face didn't know of what was to come in such a short time after it was captured. He flipped through the empty, blank pages until the book eventually closed with a snap. There should have been thirteen more years worth of images occupying the album but that was taken. Maybe now that Sayuri was reunited with her family, the album could continue to be filled. He hoped so, he really did.

Sayuri's first week as the new leader was pretty uneventful, most of the civilians that came to see her were only there to welcome her back after having been missing for so long. The shinobi of the village were kind and friendly to the Leaf shinobi, interested in their views and cultures in Konoha. Naruto and Hinata loved every minute of their first week off, finding something new and interesting to do around the village and island. "I think father and Hanabi would love to come her too. It would be romantic if Tenten and Neji came here as well. They need time alone together." the Hyuga said with a smile. Naruto blinked at his girlfriend. "But they're together always…"

"I think Hinata means on a vacation, not on a mission or around the village. Besides with Gai and Rock Lee about, they never get any proper couple time." Kakashi explained from his place next to the empty seat that Sayuri usually sat in. The Kyuubi container nodded. "Well, we're going into the forest. See ya later Kakashi-sensei." he cheered, taking Hinata's hand and whisking her out the door, nearly crashing into Sayuri in the process. He sidestepped her just in time, calling an apology he continued down the hall with Hinata. Sayuri stayed in the doorway and turned her head in Kakashi's direction. "I'm going to be fighting Kazuhiko today, if you were interested in watching…not that you'll be able to copy any of the jutsu." she said with a smile.

"You'll be mainly using the Black Swamp jutsu?" he guessed, walking towards her.

"Different forms of it. It's easy to make it into different things: my grandfather especially liked to make the swamp matter into shuriken and kunai." she explained. Kakashi smiled softly.

"Where is your grandfather?" he asked. He immediately regretted the question when her smile fell.

"He died…five years after I was taken. I only found out when we got here." she said sadly before forcing a smile. "But it's fine. He lived a long and happy life and he's with my grandmother now…" she said. Kakashi put his arm around her and gave her a reassuring hug as they walked before releasing her again.

Kakashi found himself at the edge of the village, in front of him was the large expanse of the marsh that only Sayuri and her family could stand on without being pulled in. Summoned animals could cross too it seemed but that was it. Sayuri stood a good distance away from her little brother who grinned excitedly. He'd never gotten to spar with his sister before. "Ready?" their father called happily from his place next to Kakashi. After seeing the dancing last night, Kakashi was beginning to notice how people with certain summoned animals stood. Sayuri was lithe and graceful, poised for anything. Kazuhiko, although slender was still muscular and sturdy. He seemed the type ready to charge with everything he had, like a bear. "Go!" the former leader announced. Like Kakashi thought, Kazuhiko charged after his sister while making fast handsigns. The swamp began to surge and move. Thin solid spikes shot out, heading straight for Sayuri. His sister stayed still, just as the spikes came dangerously close she moved. Her hands rapidly joined together and made the signs, the earth she stood on raised high into the air, creating a large pillar for her to stand on. Immediately the solid form broke down into the liquid marsh and crashed down towards Kazuhiko in a tall, surging wave. Prepared, he leapt backwards into the air to avoid it. However he hadn't anticipated his sister appearing, perched on his shoulders before she kicked off, sending him crashing to the ground. Kakashi watched as Sayuri landed in a poised crouch while her brother slowly got to his feet, wiping the dark substance from his face. He fixed his gaze on Sayuri and the two charged, clashing with their fists first before they continued with more powerful taijutsu attacks and impressive dodges from both siblings. Kakashi winced when Kazuhiko grasped the back of his sister's head and threw her upwards with his free hand. When she was horizontal in the air, his hands slammed down on her chest and knees, crashing her deep into the swamp so hard that the substance moulded around her form as she sank down. The ground burst with fountains of the black swap that rained down in thick droplets, some smacking Kakashi's head, face and body. However when he wiped the splotches, in an attempt to remove them, the marsh merely spread. Unable to get rid of it, he had no choice but to let it stay. One of the fountains forced Sayuri into the air. She twisted in the air and straightened, making handsigns as she sailed downwards. Kakashi recognised those signs. She was going to use a water jutsu. Immediately the ground trembled under them. Through the holes created by the swamp that shot from the ground, larger pillars of water exploded. Too distracted by the large volumes of water crashing thunderously from the ground, Kazuhiko hadn't been watching his sister. Only when he thought to look for her it was too late. A slender hand burst from the surface of the swamp and grabbed his ankle. Swiftly he was pulled down until his head remained. The Sayuri in the air disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Through one of the holes no longer shooting out water, a thoroughly drenched Sayuri climbed out and lay back on the dark surface, panting; completely exhausted. "Kazuhiko, why aren't you getting out?" Kakashi heard Lord Kurosawa call out with a grin.

"Because I can't, I'm not trapped in the swamp…it's water." Kazuhiko replied before looking at his relaxing sister. "Okay I give up. Let me out now." he told her. Laughing Sayuri rolled over and pulled back some of the dark sludge to allow the water to flow out and her brother to climb out. Kazuhiko took his sister and pulled her to her feet. As the pair headed over to their father and him, Kakashi noticed that the entire swamp was back to its original state, smooth and undamaged as though no fight had ever taken place.

Kakashi stood frowning hopelessly in the mirror, after a long shower and a lot of scrubbing, the swamp was persistently still on his face and in his hair. It was also on his clothes but those could be replaced, his hair and skin however couldn't. "You okay in there?" Sayuri's voice called out from the other side of the door. "Not really, part of your swamp is stuck to me." he reported. He instantly heard a suppressed laugh before she replied. "I-is…that so?" she asked, trying to sound concerned but her overall amusement was too much to hide. Reaching over he unlocked and opened the door to see her standing there, hand over mouth and shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry. I'll fix it…" Blindly she reached out her hand to hold onto his upper arm. Instinctively Kakashi placed his hands on her waist to steady her and pull her a little closer. "Where is it?" she asked, still grinning madly. "My face…and hair." Sayuri snorted and forced her lips together , not wanting to laugh in his face. "I bet your hair resembles a Dalmatian's fur…" she snickered before lifting a hand glowing softly with her chakra to his face. Kakashi watched in the mirror as the remnants of the swamp lifted away from his skin and hair as she moved her hand; like magnets with opposite charges, completely drawn to each other. Soon his hair was back to its usual silver shade and his skin was clear from any black swamp. He watched as Sayuri rolled her hands together, shaping the dark material like it was plasticine. Once it was in a perfectly formed ball, she let her fingers glow with chakra that fed into the ball that dispersed into a gas and out the open window. "Thank you." he said with a smile that was returned with a cheerful "Anytime". Sayuri turned and made her way back out into the bedroom. She climbed into her bed and lay down. Kakashi followed her out and pulled out his Icha Icha. "Kakashi?" Sayuri's soft, tired voice asked as he settled to lounge on top of the covers. He wasn't tired enough to sleep just yet. "Hm?" he asked, letting her know that he was listening. A long yawn and a leisurely stretched occurred before the scarlet haired woman responded. "Will you read to me?" That was certainly something he hadn't been expecting. "Y-you mean my book?" he asked. A small smile curved her lips and she shook her head. "No, not tonight at least." She said as she opened her eyes and played with the fabric of the pillowcase as she continued. "It's just….There's a book I never got to finish, because of well you know. Do you mind?" she asked, now afraid that she was forcing him to do something he didn't want to. Maybe he just wanted to read his own book in silence. Sensing her worry he smiled and ruffled her hair. "Of course I don't mind. Which book?" he asked, getting up to go to the bookcase. "It should have a black cover and a bookmark. I never knew the name of the book. It was my grandmother's favourite though. She had a thing for romances." Sayuri mused tiredly. Kakashi chuckled lightly and immediately found the book and pulled it out before he returned to the bed. Settled against the covers in only a pair of black sleeping bottoms and maskless, Kakashi opened the book to where a flower printed bookmark lay between the pages. "Need me to start at the very beginning or continue from where you left off?" he asked. Sayuri moved over and lay her head on Kakashi's stomach, one arm draped over him as she shook her head. "No, just continue, please." she yawned. Kakashi looked down at her and smiled before he began to read out loud in a low, gentle voice. A small smile graced Sayuri's lips as his voice filled the room, stretching out she relaxed further and drifted further and further to sleep. While he read, Kakashi lightly placed his free hand on her head, lightly playing with the soft scarlet locks. After a while he looked down to see she was deeply sleeping. Because he had been reading the book to her from the middle, after placing the bookmark where he had stopped, he curiously flipped it back to the beginning and began reading. From what he had read, it seemed to be a good and well written book. He was unsure of how long he'd lain there with Sayuri sleeping soundly while he read silently, getting pulled further and further into the story of the book. However one thing immediately snapped his mismatched gaze from the page in front of him. And that was Sayuri's voice saying in an unconscious murmur as she shifted in her sleep. "I…love…" the final word had him frozen in place, jaw slackened, eyes wide and heart actually racing. "Kakashi…"


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Here it is! This chapter is a lot longer than the other chapters I've posted but I hope you all enjoy it. I can't believe this is already at chapter twenty and yes this story is coming to an end soon!**

This was bad. This was so so bad! Kakashi had truly fucked things up. Sayuri had said she loved him in her sleep. He actually felt happy when she said it, which was bad; Kakashi Hatake did not fall in love. He couldn't, anytime he did it all seemed to backfire. What made things increasingly bad was that Sayuri was going out with one of his closest friends! He couldn't believe this was happening. He should never have slept with her the first time let alone the other times since they arrived in her home village. Worst of all was that he had been avoiding her as much as possible since that night. And that was eight days ago. He had a feeling that Sayuri knew he was avoiding her. Since the morning after her subconscious declaration she seemed weird around him. Today was one of the days he had to pose as her bodyguard while foreign Lord's came to talk about setting up trade with each other or some sort of political alliance. Truth be told he wasn't really listening. He stood stoically while she lounged on the sofa-like seat, the panthers around her. Renzo lay contently in front of the sofa while Morio lay in his mistress' arms. The female Asami lay on top the back of the sofa, tail flicking absently. Sayuri lightly stroked Morio's head while her free hand twirled and played with her scarlet locks. Slowly the meeting moved along until finally they bowed, thanked Sayuri and left. Kakashi hadn't even picked up on if a deal was made or not. "Can you dance?" Sayuri eventually asked, breaking through the heavy silence. He blinked and looked over at her, "Yeah, why?" he asked.

"I'm going to the Raikage's ball in a couple of days. My father insists that you're to come along as my bodyguard." she shrugged. And then the silence fell over them again. Kakashi let his visible eye sweep over her. Just how did he feel about her? Her saying she loved him was a shock and such things always made him go on the defensive. Emotions were things he always tried to avoid. She was beautiful. He was definitely attracted to her. He definitely cared about her. More than he had about anyone. She was the only one to make him jealous. She affected him in every way. He hated seeing her hurt, sad or angry. When she would curl up beside him at night, when she smiled at him and when she laughed he felt a calming warmth and happiness. Truth be told when she said she loved him in her sleep last week he could have felt his heart was going to swell and burst. God help him! Kakashi Hatake, The Copy Ninja was actually in love! He was about to open his mouth and talk when something shattered through everything.

"HOW AMAZINGLY YOUTHFUL! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!" A loud voice exploded through the village and manor. Sayuri sat up with eyes wide and a grin slowly lifting her lips. Kakashi only groaned in dread. "Why was Gai here!" He looked as Sayuri got up and headed to the door. He could only follow. The silver haired ninja came to a halt at the edge of the swamp, knowing he couldn't go any further. His visible eye took in the group at the other side of the swamp; this was Naruto's doing, it just had to be….

Ever since he talked to Kakashi in the onsen all those weeks ago, Naruto had been excited and anxious. No moment seemed right. That and for one of the first times in his life, he felt too scared to do it. He had the resolve but worry kept him from acting. And then one their first week in the Village of the Marsh Valleys he was struck with the best idea! Everything seemed to fit perfectly. This would work. And here he was one week later, all preparations finally in place. The sun was setting now; the sky a mix of such wonderful colours. The air was refreshing and warm enough to relax and soothe rather than suffocate. Arm around Hinata he walked with her through the trees towards the edge of the Village that they'd yet to go to but according to the locals was one of the best views. Naturally Naruto had been there before, just not with Hinata. "You're very quiet Naruto…are you okay?" Hinata asked. He jumped slightly. "oh! Sorry. I guess it's just this place. It seems to be able to calm even an idiot like me." he said cheerfully, grinning when Hinata giggled and lay against him while they walked. "This really is a great place." she sighed happily. The scent of flowers overcame them. Such a beautiful scent that was not overpowering in a sickening sense. Finally they broke through the last of the trees and Hinata's pale eyes widened shock at the sight before her. Paper lanterns glowed around them, hanging in the branches of the line of trees on either side of the clearing until it opened up on a rock face showing the ocean with the sun setting in front of her. On the ground, hundreds of flowers bloomed around her feet, by the trees- some even grew on vines that snaked around the bark- and even on the rock face behind the trees on her right. What made the tears swell in her eyes was seeing her father, sister, Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Shino there. Akamaru, Sayuri, Kakashi, Rock Lee and Gai stood by Naruto who was grinning broadly. "W-what's going on?" Hinata asked, rooted in the spot and trying to still her tears. Naruto approached and took her hands. "I've been wanting to do this for ages but….last week when you talked about liking your family to be here it was perfect. I sent my frogs to go get them and they arrived today while we were away. Kakashi-sensei and Sayuri kept them hidden all day. And now that the explanation is over…." he said getting down on one knee making Hinata let out a half cry half gasp noise. She could only stare at the blonde ninja who had her hands in his while grinning up at her. "Hinata Hyuga. You are the most caring, beautiful, gentle women that I've ever met. I'm the luckiest man on earth to have been given your love and support for so long. But I'm the biggest knuckle head to not have noticed that you were the one for me sooner. Would you make me the most ecstatic ninja that ever lived by saying that you'll marry me right here and now?" he asked. Kakashi watched his student as he began the proposal. This was probably the first time he had seen Naruto so serious when he was talking about something other than being Hokage. He glanced to the side to see Rock Lee and Gai with tears streaming down their faces, no doubt holding back their outbursts about youth so they didn't spoil the moment. Looking over at the others he saw Hanabi and Tenten teary eyed and smiling. Curiously he looked to Sayuri who was tense beside him but was smiling softly as she listened to Naruto propose. The Copy Ninja all but jumped when as soon as Naruto finished his proposal, the Hyuga let out a happy, teary squeal and launched herself at the blonde, kissing him happily. Akamaru barked happily. Kiba grinned. Tenten and Hanabi sighed at the romantic spectacle. Shino gave a small noise of approval. Gai and Rock Lee yelled out "HOW YOUTHFUL!" through their sobs. Sayuri laughed softly. "If that's a 'yes' then lets get this wedding started." she smiled. The kissing couple broke apart and Hinata hurried to wipe her tears away. "Naruto…none of your team or Jiraiya are here…" she said worriedly. Naruto chuckled and wrapped his arms around his soon to be wife. "As soon as we get back to Konoha we're having the biggest and best wedding ceremony there is! All of our friends and your family and Kurenai will be there. I just wanted your family here for this little, romantic ceremony." The whiskered ninja grinned. "I don't know why Gai-sensei and Bushy brows tagged along though…" he muttered looking at the green clad ninjas who ceased crying and grinned. "If Neji and Tenten were coming we didn't want to miss them getting married here if that was the case!" Gai explained with a grin. Neji and Tenten glanced at each other, blushed furiously and looked away. After that the wedding began with Sayuri acting as the one to bind the two together in the name of husband and wife.

"Woah! This place is full of such babes!" Kiba grinned as they walked down the streets, his head turning to follow one woman after another. Shino made a scoff but looked around curiously at the animals as they freely made their way around the village. Hanabi and Hiashi looked around curiously just like the others. "You are all free to stay as long as you like." Sayuri told them with a kind smile. "Lady Kurosawa..." Hanabi asked softly, looking to the woman.

"Yes?" Sayuri asked with a smile.

"Can I see the panther cub again?" she asked excitedly. Sayuri laughed softly and called out for Morio. The cub leapt down from a building roof and into Sayuri's arms. Smiling, she felt the cub pounce away. By the sounds of Hanabi's giggles it was clear to her that Morio was with her. "What type of insects live here?" Shino asked curiously.

"A lot. You might not have seen some. Naruto nearly had a heart attack the first day he went out exploring…" Sayuri mused with a grin at Naruto's expense.

"That thing was huge, hairy and appeared out of no where!" a protest came from the blond simply making Sayuri laugh. When they reached the manor, servants came to show the new comers to the rooms arranged for them. Naruto and Hinata headed to their own room with wide, loveable grins directed at each other. Kakashi frowned to see Sayuri turning to go down a hall that led away from the room. "Where are you going?" he asked. She turned with a cool expression on her face. "I have work to do. Kazuhiko is close to becoming the next leader. I need to make sure things are in order and his work load is light so he can adjust. You can spend the rest of our time here for your own leisure. This is a holiday for you afterall." she said a little too crisply.

"I can sit with you -"

"I will be perfectly fine on my own Hatake-san. Good night." she cut in, turning sharply and storming down the hall. Damn it. She was definitely mad at him and he'd finally sorted out his messed up mind to realize he loved her. He wanted to go after her but a voice spoke up. "Leave her be." Kakashi turned to see Lord Kurosawa standing in his night robe, smiling kindly at the ninja. "She'll be fine in a day or so." he advised before turning and heading back to bed. Reluctantly, Kakashi sighed and headed to his and her room for the night, not that he'd be sleeping until Sayuri finished her work. Kakashi awoke the next morning and sighed at himself. He'd fallen asleep waiting. The sound of water running caught his attention. He sat up and rubbed his face while yawning. Immediately the water stopped and soon Sayuri stepped out, fluffy white towel draped over her damp scarlet locks and another wrapped around her body. "Shower's free." was all she said before she sat down on the sofa, back to him. Kakashi said nothing, she was still mad. He got out of the bed and into the bathroom. He stepped under the spray of the hot water and felt it loosen and relax him. That was until the heat suddenly disappeared and ice cold water pounded his skin. He jerked out of the stream of water and shut it off. He glared towards the door, knowing full well that Sayuri was the reason behind this. Getting out, he grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist and draped another around the lower half of his face in case someone entered. The copy ninja entered the bedroom to see Sayuri dressed in a floral print summer dress as she ran a brush through her red locks while she dried her hair innocently with a hair dryer. He glared at her as she switched the device off and felt her hair to see if it was still damp. "That was a quick shower you had." she mused casually. "You know full well I didn't have one. The water's cold." he informed her. Sayuri's eyebrows rose as she turned her head towards him. "I have no control over the temperature of the water in your shower Kakashi. If you recall this manor has had a significant increase of guests since yesterday morning. Counting in that number of people all having a shower before you I'd venture a guess that the hot water has run out because of them. Not me." she informed him. Kakashi blinked and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before muttering an apology and beginning to change. With his back to her, he didn't see Sayuri's smug smirk before she controlled her expression and finished drying her hair.

Kakashi and Sayuri walked into the dinning hall where her family sat. "Morning dears." Sayuri's mother beamed at them. Kakashi was glad for his mask as he felt a blush creeping across his cheeks. It was obvious who Sayuri took after. Her mother was a very beautiful woman. She always called Kakashi 'dear' as though they were family. After greeting them in turn, Kakashi sat next to Sayuri before looking around the table he thought would be full of people. "Where's everyone else?" he asked. Lord Kurosawa looked up from the book in his hands and smiled. "Still sleeping." Kakashi frowned. "Well apart from Rock Lee and Gai…they were up very early to go train. I made sure an animal was with them in case they ventured onto the swamp." The Copy Ninja began to think things through. If Gai and Lee were up they would shower after they returned. Everyone else was asleep which would have meant that Sayuri had lied to him and she was the reason behind him not getting a proper shower this morning. He glared to the side to see the young Lady taking a slow drink of her tea. "Everyone else used all the hot water, hm?" he muttered in a low voice so only she would hear. He watched her enticing lips curve into a wicked smirk, hidden to her family behind the cup. "When do you head to the Raikage's, sis?" Kazuhiko asked while dangling a piece of bacon in the air. Kakashi's eyebrows rose to see a flash of black fur leap up and take it before it headed out of the room. Looking after it he saw it was a bear cub. "I was thinking tomorrow morning but maybe this afternoon instead? Father what do you think would be best?" Sayuri asked. Lord Kurosawa pursed his lips thoughtfully. "If you leave tomorrow morning you'll arrive in the afternoon, possibly later and you might be rushing to get ready. This afternoon would be best I think." he said. Sayuri nodded in agreement and jumped when her mother appeared at her side and hugged her tightly. "Make sure lots of photos are taken! I want to see you all dressed up." she gushed happily. Sayuri smiled and hugged her mother back. "I won't be able to tell when a camera is pointed at me though. Besides you've seen me in a dress. I'm wearing one now."

"That's not the same. I want to see you looking far more beautiful!" she squealed in excitement. Personally Kakashi couldn't see how it was possible for someone like Sayuri to look more beautiful. She was radiant and gorgeous as she was. "I've never seen you with make up on or a fancy dress or even your hair done up." Her mother continued, pulled out of the hug to begin affectionately playing with Sayuri's hair while looking at her face. Kakashi could see guilt and sadness in the woman's eyes as she looked at her daughter. "I'll make sure a camera never leaves her." the Copy ninja spoke up. Sayuri and her mother both turned their heads to look at him. Sayuri appeared to be in shock the way her mouth hung open. Sayuri's mother however squealed out in excitement and shot across her daughter to practically tackle the ninja. Thankfully, Kakashi held onto the armrest of his chair to keep them from falling. "Thank you Kakashi dear!" she called happily, arms around him tightly. Laughing a little nervously, Kakashi patted the woman on the back. "No problem." "You'll need a suit. Do you have one?" Sayuri spoke up. Kakashi looked to see she'd pushed her chair back to avoid her mother kicking her accidentally. When Lady pulled away to look at him with big blue eyes he spoke. "No, I wasn't aware I'd be needing one." He watched Sayuri's mother beam at him. "We'll get you one in the town today before you go!" Unable to refuse he nodded once. Thankfully Tenten and the Hyugas -minus Hinata- entered the room, capturing Lady Kurosawa's attention as she went over to greet them. Kakashi noted with some amusement that Hiashi lightly blushed at the woman's beaming smile and radiant features. "Father look!" Hanabi gasped in excitement seeing the Lion sitting next to Lord Kurosawa. Hiashi regarded the animal curiously before he took his seat that Lady Kurosawa led him to. Hanabi was seated between Kazuhiko and her father. Her pale violet eyes glanced to the young master and future Lord and noticed him glancing at her too. His lips curved into a smile which grew when the young Hyuga blushed and turned her gaze away. Neji and Tenten sat opposite the two heirs and smirked at Hanabi's sudden shyness. Soon the room began to fill with the additions of Shino and Kiba. Finally the newlyweds entered the room. Naruto was grinning widely while Hinata smiled and blushed as they took their seats next to each other. Breakfast was full of laughing and conversation. Hiashi glanced at his daughter and son in-law "I hope you two will be working on providing me with a grandchild." he said casually. Kiba choked on his food with laughter while Hinata nearly fainted. It didn't help matters when Naruto grinned and placed his hand on his wife's stomach. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was one in there now. We were very busy last night dad!" he announced triumphantly. Neji put his face in his hands. He couldn't' believe that the blonde ninja was now in some what related to him. Lady Kurosawa sighed romantically and longingly. "I can't wait to be a grandparent." she said looking to her daughter who'd paused in her movements. She stopped chewing her breakfast, feeling the gaze of her parents on her. Slowly she resumed and swallowed before speaking. "I'd rather I was in a relationship before I started planning having children." she answered smoothly. Her mother pouted and Kakashi frowned at her. "I thought Morio said something about you going out with some guy named Genma?" Kazuhiko asked. Sayuri sighed. "It wasn't serious and we stopped seeing each other before I left for here." his sister replied before standing. "I'll be finishing some work before I leave for Thunder Country. Kakashi, you should get ready too." she said before walking away. "Asami?" the scarlet haired woman called before walking down the hall with the female panther by her side. After that the meal progressed happily until everyone went to do their own thing. Shino of course went in search of bugs to study. Kiba went in search of women to flirt with. Naruto and Hinata went to one of the spas and to go shopping with Neji and Tenten. Kazuhiko volunteered to show Hanabi and Hiashi around the town and show off all of the sights of the island. Lord Kurosawa went to assist Sayuri. Leaving Kakashi with Sayuri's mother who pulled him along in search of a suit for the Raikage's Ball. In all honesty, Kakashi wasn't really paying attention. He was in too much shock at the news that Genma and Sayuri been separated since they left Konoha. She hadn't told him. Not that it mattered; he still slept with her. But Genma had been sleeping with other women when he was with Sayuri. However Genma never fell in love with those women- unlike Kakashi who was in love with Sayuri. Everything was a blur after that. He now found himself walking across the swamp with Sayuri, his arm around her waist so he didn't sink. Glancing warily at Sayuri he was wondering if she'd let go of him and let him fall to the dangers of the murky substance beneath them. Thankfully she wasn't that mad at him.

"Does the Raikage know that we're heading there today?" he asked as she moved out of his arm when they were on solid ground. "I sent Morio ahead. He'll know to expect us this evening or late tonight. " Sayuri answered coolly and continued travelling. Kakashi looked at her and then at Asami who walked between them. "Why are you bringing Asami with you? Are you expecting trouble?" he asked curiously. "I need someone to do my hair and makeup." came the reply. It seemed Sayuri was not looking for any conversation. Or at least not with him. It seemed she was still angry at him for ignoring her for a week. After a long and weary travel they found themselves at the Raikage Mansion. Servants bowed but eyes the panther warily, nearly falling over when the panther bowed and greeted them kindly. The booming voice of the Raikage echoed at them as he came to the door, Morio perched on his large shoulder. He nodded to Kakashi in greeting and looked to Sayuri, the two bowed, causing Morio to fall into his mistress' arms. "Thank you for welcoming us personally, Lord Raikage." Sayuri said with a charming smile and sweet voice. Kakashi looked at her. 'Oh sure, be nice to him.' he thought in annoyance, she couldn't see the Raikage shamelessly looking her up and down appreciatively. Kakashi ground his teeth together, not liking the look in the man's eyes. "You and your body guard will be sharing a room I take it?" "Yes, we will." Kakashi answered quickly. The Raikage regarded Kakashi and nodded before turning and leading them to their room that was more like a luxury suite. Kakashi set down their bags and closed the door, watching the panthers hop onto the large sofa in front of the fireplace while Sayuri began her customary feel around the room. Kakashi moved to the armchair next to the occupied sofa and left Sayuri to her own devices. Every so often he'd hear a bang and a curse. Glancing he noticed she was limping. Despite the abuse her feet seemed to get from pieces of furniture, she always seemed to recover soon enough and continued to learn the layout of the room. The ninja rubbed the back of his head as he stretched out and relaxed in the armchair. Opening his pouch, he pulled out his book and flipped it open. "Did you get your suit Kakashi-san?" Morio asked, leaping onto the shoulder of the copy ninja. "Yes I did, will you be lurking about tomorrow evening?" he said to the cub who pouted. "No. Mama and I are staying in the room. I want to see everyone at the party though." the cub muttered. Kakashi couldn't help at his sulking voice. "I'm sure Naruto and Hinata will let you come and watch their wedding and be a part of the party when we're back in Konoha." he said. The panther grinned happily, pointed white teeth gleaming. "Remember your promise to Lady Kurosawa." Asami spoke up before yawning as she lay on her side. "lots of pictures!" Morio cheered as he slid down Kakashi's chest to curl up on his lap. The sound of clothes rustling caught his attention; Sayuri was changing. Usually she would wait until he was in the bathroom before she did that or sometimes she'd go into the bathroom herself. Temptation was nagging at Kakashi to turn his head and glance at her wonderful body but he resisted and kept his eyes firmly on the pages in front of him. Then she walked past him and he allowed himself to then look. A plain green tank top and pair of black pyjama shorts. She gathered her hair on top of her head and tied it into a messy bun before she headed into the bathroom, toothbrush and tube of toothpaste in her hand. He watched her fumble to find the sink and cold tap. Soon she was brushing her teeth while leaning against the doorframe. Without a word she finished and went to bed. The sound of her deep, even breathing signalled she'd quickly fallen asleep. After reading for a couple of hours, Kakashi looked over to see Asami sleeping. Shifting his weight, he gently lifted the snoring ball of fur into his arms and set him next to his mother before getting ready for bed. It would be a busy day tomorrow.

The next day was a flurry of activity in the Raikage Mansion. More guests were arriving throughout the course of the day. Servants and caterers rushed to prepare everything for the grand event that all the leaders and nobles of the shinobi world attended. Kakashi had informed the Raikage that none of the Hyuga family would be attending this time due to Hinata's marriage. Soon came the time for the guests to get ready for the festivities. Kakashi stared at his reflection. His headband was gone and he found himself in a black suit with red tie. His shirt was black with red pinstripes. As always he had his face covered with a mask. He stepped out of the bathroom, nearly jumping to see two women in the room. The one he recognised was Sayuri who sat on the edge of the bed, in a bathrobe and hair clipped back while a woman stood over her. This woman had earth brown skin and long black hair, feline poise and a knock out body covered in a medium length black dress. She slowly turned her head to fix luminous, predatory green eyes on him. Black painted lips slipped into a catlike grin. "Kakashi-san. You look very handsome, if you don't mind me saying." she purred at him. Mismatched eyes widened, he knew that voice. "Asami….you look different." he replied. The once panther grinned and chuckled. "Just a transformation jutsu to get my Lady ready." she mused before turning back and lightly applying blusher to Sayuri's cheeks. "Kakashi you can go on out to the ballroom if you like. I'm going to be a little while longer. Tsunade-sama should be here by now." Sayuri said. Kakashi looked at her and then to the black dress bag on the mattress behind her. He would have liked to be the first to see her but decided to give her the privacy she wanted. Her tone was still sharp and hurt when she spoke to him. Kakashi shut the door behind him and headed to the ballroom and noticed a few other men there; obviously bodyguards for both the Raikage and specific guest just like he was the bodyguard for Sayuri. Soon the room was filling. "Kakashi!" a voice caught his attention. He looked over to see Jiraiya walking towards him with a grin. It was a surprise to see the Toad Sage in a suit instead of his regular. He was even wearing normal shoes rather than his sandals. "I didn't think you'd be here, Jiraiya…" Kakashi mused, one hand in his pocket. "Well I am one of the Sanin. I'm always invited. Tsunade and the other Kages will be announced and enter together. High ranking Lords will then be announced. Sayuri will be among them." he informed the copy ninja who nodded and waited. Band players took their places and began to play some music while the greeter who had been at the front door earlier took his place in front of the microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen. Let us welcome the Raikage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, Hokage and Kazekage!" he said. In order they were called, the five great rulers of the Shinobi Nations progressed down the grand staircase to the sound of applause and whistling (mainly from the male guests when they saw the Mizukage and Hokage in their dresses). From there the Lords, their wives and children entered. "From Flower Island, the ruler of the land and Village Hidden in the Marsh Valleys; Lady Kurosawa." the announcer said, Kakashi looked up to see a hand touch the banister before she moved down the stairs. Waves of flame red locks fell both down her back and over her shoulder as she walked. It was only when she at the landing and facing everyone that he got to see her properly and the knocked the breath from him. Her lips were painted a deep red and cheeks dusted with a light, subtle rose. Her pale blue eyes were rimmed and framed in black eyeliner and mascara. His eyes narrowed briefly when the man waiting at the landing escorted her down the rest of the staircase and into the crowd. Once she was free of the man- who had returned to the landing to greet the next female that would be coming down the stairs- Kakashi let his mismatched gaze look over her body. Her dress was floor length, silk and hugged the curves of her hips and chest where the skirt flowed out slightly. It was v neck and cut low enough to show some of her cleavage without it being seen as distasteful or 'sluttish'. At her stomach, the material was scarlet and spread outwards before it bled into complete black. She truly was breathtaking. Silently she took her place beside Jiraiya and clapped when the last of the guests were called. With her back to him, Kakashi allowed himself a sly look at her back; namely her wonderful rear. It amused Kakashi that he and Sayuri matched; probably her mother's doing he thought.

Finally all of the guests were called without a hitch; well with the exception when Sasuke was called with Sakura. The announcer had called out 'Lord Sasuke Uchiha from the Leaf Village, accompanied by g-' at this point he was about to say 'guest' but one swift glare from the pink haired woman next to him and a raised left hand to show off a ring, he corrected himself and proceeded to call out 'Accompanied by his beautiful fiancée.' The ball was finally starting. Music played, couples danced and everyone else talked to friends, mingled with foreign lords, leaders and their families. Sayuri was talking to Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto had made her and Kakashi to promise they wouldn't tell anyone about the wedding, it was something he and Hinata wanted to tell everyone when they got back. "Lady Kurosawa!" a voice called out. Sayuri turned towards the voice, sensing a small group approaching. Sasuke and Sakura moved on to talk to Gaara and his siblings. Kakashi stayed by Sayuri as the four males approached. "May I say that you look absolutely beautiful this evening?" he drawled smoothly at her with a smirk. Sayuri shrugged. "You can say what you like. I can't exactly stop you from voicing an opinion." she replied with a smile. The male laughed while the others smirked. "We had heard you had been reunited with your family after so many years! How long were you missing?" a second man spoke. "Thirteen years but I'm moving on from those bad memories." Sayuri spoke politely but had the underlying tone that she didn't want to continue that topic of conversation. After talking to the group for a while they smiled and left to join their families. "Were they looking at my chest the whole time?" she asked, turning to Kakashi who cleared his throat and gave a small laugh. "Well they had been until I glared at them." he admitted. Sayuri smirked and turned her head in the direction of loud laughter. Kakashi followed the noise to see a group of young Lords, grinning at another Lord their age. "I bet you couldn't get any girl here to willingly dance with you." one jeered at the nervous looking young man. "Forget girls. No woman here would! There's a few old grannies about. Maybe they'll be willing." "They'd have to be blind or maybe unconscious to do it." The group laughed at the other young man's expense. Kakashi could have sworn he heard a growl come from Sayuri. He looked down to see her starting towards the group at the other end of the hall. Thanks to their ninja abilities they'd heard the conversation that the obnoxious Lords thought was unheard. The men stopped laughing when they saw her approach. She smiled at them. "Care to dance?" she purred softly. "Hell yes!" one of the young men grinned stepping forward. Sayuri frowned. "I wasn't talking to you." she said, slipping her arm through the nervous one's arm and turned her head to smile at him. "I was talking to him." she smiled. Kakashi chuckled at the expressions of the bullies and the shocked one of the nervous Lord. Smiling, she turned and led him to the dance floor as a medium paced song began. Sayuri placed one hand on the back of his neck and the other in his hand. The young Lord beamed at her as he placed his hand on her hip and the two began to dance. Kakashi watched the two talking and laughing as they danced. Immediately he sensed someone next to him. "Who's that with Sayuri?" Genma asked, senbon in his mouth.

"Someone who needed a break. Arrogant snobs saying he couldn't get a dance with anyone unless they were blind or unconscious." Kakashi answered he scanned the spectators and smirked to see young women looking at the once nervous heir with interest and smiles. Genma chuckled. "How's the holiday going?" he asked, glancing at Kakashi from the corner of his eye.

"It's going good. I stay with Sayuri when she has meetings to keep up the bodyguard image."

"I'm sure you guard her body very well." Genma mused smirking when his masked friend tensed slightly. "So you have slept with her?" he grinned eyes bright. "I'd rather not talk about it, Genma." he said a little stiffly. Genma eyed his friend carefully and looked over at Sayuri and back to his friend. Kakashi hadn't taken his eyes off of her and there was a strange look in those mismatched orbs. Brown eyes widened. "Don't tell me!" he gasped, grasping the masked ninja's shoulder tightly. "You love her?" he hissed. Kakashi looked at him silently. No answer was all Genma needed to hear. "Who would have thought it. Kakashi Hatake, in love." Genma chuckled. "You do know we aren't seeing each other anymore right? Go and make your move." he urged with a grin.

"How can I when she's angry with me?" he muttered before explaining what Sayuri had said in his sleep and how he reacted. Genma shook his head at his friend. "Idiot." he sighed. When the song ended he dragged Kakashi over to a Lord's wife while he went to Sayuri. Kakashi asked the wife to dance with a happy eye crease. Immediately she agreed, leaving her husband who was deep in conversation with another nobleman. As he took his position on the dance floor, the music started in a fast paced waltz. He looked over to see Genma and Sayuri dancing nearby. He glanced around the people dancing and spotted Sasuke and Sakura, Jiraiya and Tsunade, The Raikage and Mizukage, Gaara was dancing with a pretty girl with black hair. Kakashi twirled the woman as they danced. Almost everyone knew this dance and at the right moment, the men passed the women to the person next to them. Kakashi found himself with the Mizukage and looked over to see Sayuri and Sasuke dancing. The dance progressed and Kakashi found himself getting closer to being Sayuri's next partner. However just as she was passed over to him, the song had ended. Kakashi could feel her tense; she knew it was him. She took a step back, ready to leave the floor but Kakashi held onto her. "Dance with me. We need to talk." he told her. His arm slipped around her waist, holding her close while his free hand held hers. Reluctantly she lay her free hand on his shoulder. The music began to play a soft song that resembled a tango but was slower but just as intimate. "You look extremely beautiful Sayuri." he told her. Her lips pursed together and she had her head turned away from him slightly. "You have some nerve." she muttered. "Ignoring me for a whole week and then suddenly talking to me when it suits you. So tell me oh so great Hatake, what have I done to be graced with a dance and compliments?" she asked bitterly as he twirled her outsides and spun her back. When she spun back to him, her back was against his chest. They now held each others hands as they danced. "I wanted to apologize for that. It's just that something happened and it caused me to react the way I did. I wanted to sort out my thoughts on the matter and when my slow mind finally sorted through it, a week had passed and you were angry with me." he told her smoothly in her ear. Sayuri resisted the urge to tremble as his clothed mouth moved against her skin. He spun her around and dipped her to the ground, her flame red hair just touched the ground before he pulled her up and lead her around the floor like the other couples. "I'm still angry with me, a simple 'I'm sorry' won't do Kakashi. You really did hurt me." she told him. "So what was it that made you treat me like I had the plague?" she asked. Kakashi looked at her with a soft smile. "You spoke in your sleep and said that you loved me." he told her. The adorable red blush that spread across her cheeks. Embarrassment was keeping her lips tightly shut. With their closeness, Kakashi could feel her heart beating rapidly. Smirking he leaned in. "Would I bee permitted to tell Lady Sayuri that I love her?" he asked in a formal tone. Sayuri's unseeing eyes widened at his confession and Kakashi could see tears beginning to form in them. "You can say what you like…I can't exactly stop you from voicing an opinion." she replied; just as she had at the start of the evening. "But you do love me?" she asked with a smile. "Yes I really do." Kakashi said. "I'd love to kiss you right now, but it'll mess your mask." Sayuri teased. Kakashi smirked and firmly placed his hands on her hips. With ninja speed, he lifted her into the air and Sayuri had the mask down, her lips on his while her long red hair shielded the copy ninja's face from everyone. When she was on her feet, his mask was firmly in place and the two continued dancing.

From the side Genma, Jiraiya and the other Leaf Ninja smiled broadly. "So he finally did it." Tsunade mused. Sasuke and Sakura frowned in disappointment. Their sensei had pulled down their mask and they still hadn't gotten to see his face but the two were happy their sensei had finally found a woman for him. Genma locked his hand around Shizune's wrist and twirled her into him until their chests were firmly against each other. "Shall we dance?" he grinned at her with a wiggle of his eyebrows. The medic blushed and nodded. "Come on Tsunade, let's dance. We can't let these young ones get the better of us." Jiraiya grinned, whisking the blonde to the dance floor again. The evening carried on until the early hours, everyone enjoying themselves. When they eventually returned to their room, Kakashi and Sayuri found themselves to be wide awake before proceeding to make love on the bed until the two were too tired to move from each other's arms. Sayuri smiled tiredly as her head lay on his chest, slowly falling asleep as he played with her hair absently. As the two slept soundly and happily they had no clue what was in store for them or what was being planned by a group ten miles east of the Raikage's mansion in one of the industrial warehouses. "You sure about it?" a voice asked warily. "No doubt about it. Little Kurosawa has grown a lot. Still blind though." another answered holding out a photograph that had been taken at the Raikage's ball. A grubby hand snatched it and held it up to the light so everyone could see. "Well well, I wouldn't mind having an hour or two with her." a wheezy voice laughed. "No one touches her." a voice snapped from the entrance. The figure strolled smoothly into the large building, silencing everyone. The ominous chakra scared them into obeying. "Thirteen years ago you all fucked up and damaged the goods however now I realise I made a mistake all those years ago by ordering you to leave her in that forest. We must prepare men." he informed them. "She is part of Leaf, her family knows she's alive and she's with them for another couple of weeks. We must be patient and become stronger with a foolproof plan to capture this woman. Sure you go into the Hidden Marshes once but that won't happen again. I have a feeling her bounty will now be so much higher now that she is known again which means a bigger share for you all." he told them with a grin causing the men to laugh. They would train, get stronger and plan for that when they attacked, Sayuri Kurosawa would be back in their clutches and this time they wouldn't get rid of her until the price was right.

The rest of the Leaf's visit in The Village Hidden in the Marsh Valleys went by in the blink of an eye. Lady Kurosawa squealed and hugged Kakashi excitedly when he brought back all of the pictures of Sayuri and the others. Sasuke, Sakura, Tsunade, Shizune and Genma had all gone back to Konoha the day after the ball. Jiraiya had accompanied Kakashi and Sayuri back to the village and was welcomed enthusiastically by the people and animals. Kazuhiko and Hanabi were closer than they had been when Kakashi and Sayuri left. It seemed that all of the couples had gotten closer; Naruto and Hinata were never apart, Tenten and Neji were closer; the branch child seemed to have softened a lot more. Kiba and even Shino had gotten lucky it seemed. Gai and Lee had shockingly reported that they had girlfriends back in Konoha so spent most of their time training. After warm goodbyes, Sayuri hugged her family members tightly, smiling when they promised they'd visit. She returned the statement, knowing that nothing would keep her from them again. Kazuhiko stepped up to Hiashi and bowed before bowing to Hanabi. Smiling he took her hand and lightly kissed it. "Be safe." he said before he looked over to see a large grizzly bear approach, a box wrapped with a bright red ribbon held in its paws. When Kazuhiko grinned and took the box, the animal went back to standing on all fours. The now Lord of the Village passed the gift into her hands, laughing when she blushed furiously and passed the box to her father so she could open it. Pulling the ribbon, the top of the box lifted slightly and Hanabi looked inside. Her pale lilac eyes widened and looked to Kazuhiko. She squealed excitedly and leapt at him, hugging the man tightly. "Thank you so much!" she gasped, letting go to return to the box. "He's yours so give him any name you like." he told her, Kakashi watched curiously as the young Hyuga lifted out a bundle of pure white fur. A pair of dark eyes opened and pointed ears perked up. He looked to Hanabi and licked her nose. "What animal did he give her?" Sayuri asked with a smile. "An arctic fox." Kakashi said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I'll name him Mamoru." Hanabi smiled as the fox yawned and then smiled at Hanabi. "A fine name to give me, my lady. I will do my best to live up to it." he said. Hanabi squealed and hugged the small fluffy bundle of fur. "He's so cute when he talks!" Hiashi looked from his young daughter to the young Lord and smiled softly. They seemed to be a good pair. Kakashi kept his arm around Sayuri as they crossed the swamp. Surprisingly Lee didn't need an animal of a Kurosawa to accompany him. Since Mamoru was in Hanabi's arms and Hiashi kept his hands on his daughter's shoulders they were fine to walk. Hinata and Tenten sat on Renzo while Naruto and Neji sat on Asami. Gai had to walk with Morio in his arms. Kakashi looked at Shino and Kiba who stood on the village side of the swamp, talking to girls who seemed sad to see the ninja's go. "We're forgetting two." he whispered in Sayuri's ear. Laughing, Sayuri made a handsign. The swamp behind Shino and Kiba rose and wrapped around them before carrying them across the swamp and set them down on the other side. Akamaru barked and ran across the swamp to regroup with Kiba and the others.

The journey home went smoothly and quickly. Everyone was excited to see the gates coming into view. Swiftly, Hinata and Naruto rushed off with Kiba, Shino, Tenten, Neji and Lee to meet up with the others and the newlywed Uzumaki's could share their news and start planning the Konoha wedding. Gai grinned to Kakashi and informed him he was off to see his beloved lady. Hiashi bowed to Kakashi and Sayuri. Hanabi bowed to Kakashi and threw her arms around Sayuri's waist, hugging her with Mamoru perched on her brunette head. Smiling, Sayuri leaned down and hugged the Hyuga. Sayuri could sense some worry from the girl. "There's no need to worry about Kazuhiko. You may be apart but he would never stray or cheat on you." she told her softly. "Really?" Hanabi asked causing Sayuri to nod. "He wouldn't even cheat at card games when we were little. You may have only been there a couple of weeks Hanabi but I can tell my brother really cares about you. Besides part of Mamoru's job will be to keep in contact with him." she said with a smile. Thanking her, Hanabi let go and went with her father to the Hyuga estate. "I'm going to the Hokage Mansion to make sure she knows that I have successfully completed this long and peril filled mission." Kakashi joked. Sayuri laughed. "I have to go to. I'm to see about my new apartment that I get all to myself. Well it'll have three panthers but no other humans." she joked. Kakashi looked at the three panthers and nodded, walking with them to the Hokage's office. As soon as he arrived, he was paid for the 'mission' and handed a scroll. He, Genma, Gai and Anko were to go on as soon as possible. Kakashi nodded and left immediately to read over the mission and inform the member that they'd leave at eight that evening. After welcoming Sayuri back, Tsunade handed over her new apartment key and sent Shizune to take the woman to the new home. As the two walked, Shizune glanced at her nervously. "Sayuri… about you and Genma." "There isn't a 'Genma and I' anymore Shizune. I thought he would have said." Sayuri said with a smile. "Oh! He has. It's just I'd like to thank you." Shizune said with a smile. "Thank me?" "Yes, because of you it got Genma used to the idea of a serious relationship and although we've always had a thing for each other I told him I never wanted to be a 'one time thing' and would only go out with him if he was really ready to commit and be faithful. You helped him grow up in a way and slowly come out of his womanizing. Now we're together and I'm so happy!" she explained with a beam as they stopped at the apartment and entered. They went up two flights in the lift and were outside a door. "There are really only three apartments in this building. The ground floor and first floor are all one apartment. This floor and the floor above us is all your apartment and there is another apartment above that." Shizune explained before guiding Sayuri's hand to the door so she could unlock it and enter. "Thank you Shizune." Sayuri smiled as the panthers rushed into the apartment that was already furnished- thanks to Sayuri's father who paid for it and Anko who had already brought Sayuri's things over. All that was needed to unpack her things in the boxes. Sayuri hugged the medic and smiled. "You should go find Genma, knowing him, he'll be looking to have a private goodbye before his mission." she smirked knowingly. Blushing Shizune laughed and said goodbye. Asami guided Sayuri around the whole two floored apartment that was more like a house to the scarlet haired woman. There were over three bedrooms in the apartment and two bathrooms and that wasn't including the en suite in her bedroom. Once she was confident of the layout she began to sit down when the door opened and Anko held a box grinning. "You're home how long and don't bother coming to say hello and goodbye?" she asked. Sayuri smiled in her friends direction. Out of all those in Konoha, Sayuri considered Anko to be her closest and best friend. "This is your last box of stuff. I saved it until now so I had an excuse to come over." she grinned, setting it down. The snake kunoichi sat down on that coffee table in front of Sayuri and frowned with concern. "What's wrong?" she asked. Immediately Sayuri burst into tears. Anko moved to sit next to the young woman and held her. "I don't know what to do!" she sobbed. "Kakashi and I are finally together but he's going to hate me." Anko frowned at her. "Why would he hate you? You two have been resisting for so long and now that you're a couple he isn't going to let you go." "But he will! If I was him I'd leave me." Sayuri cried. "I've been trying to act like everything is okay but I knew it wasn't. I…I went to check on our way home when we stopped in a town and-" Sayuri cut off into tears. Anko shushed her, and hugged her friend. "Everything will be okay Sayuri. If he does leave you I'll knock some sense into him." Sayuri shook her head. "But it's not just Kakashi that'll hate me." Sayuri protested. "Anko…I'm pregnant and I don't know if the father is Kakashi or Genma!" Sayuri told her. "What man will stay with a woman that could be carrying his best friend's child? And what if Shizune leaves Genma! They'll all hate me for ruining their lives and I could be on my own with a baby." Sayuri choked out as the tears kept flowing.


	21. Chapter 21

"Geez, where the hell is Anko?" Genma muttered, kicking a rock near by with a frown. It was almost ten and there was no sign of the last member of their team. Hell, even Kakashi was there and waiting. The silver haired ninja leaned against the wooden station that Izumo and Kotetsu sat in, book in his hand. Gai was currently doing push-ups using only his pointer fingers. "Sorry I'm late." a voice said a little breathlessly. The three men looked over to see Anko coming towards them. "Oh heavens no Anko! You aren't late. How could you ever be late?" Genma said dramatically with a roll of his eyes. Anko frowned and bit her bottom lip. "Sorry for holding you all back, I'll pay for a place to stay tonight and dinner to make it up to everyone." she said. Her answer made the five males(including Izumo and Kotetsu) give her a stunned look. She looked like Anko, her voice was definitely Anko's but the words were definitely not like Anko. Especially after being talked to like that by Genma, they expected a sharp retort or even a threat. "Who are you really? And if you are Anko, are you feeling okay?" Gai asked with a frown. The woman looked at the men and narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine, excuse me for trying to apologize for holding the team back. Can we just go already?" she snapped. Yep there was the real Anko. Immediately they set off. Anko gave an anxious look back to the Village. She didn't know how long the mission would be but she hoped Sayuri would be okay. The she worried about how she would be. She was in a team with the two men that were the possible father's of her best friend's unborn child. How long could she hide it? As much as she tried to act normally, she couldn't do it properly around Genma and Kakashi. It had taken a long time to calm Sayuri who had been holding everything in for a while. Anko convinced her that things would be fine and if- a very big if- it turned out Genma was that father and Kakashi left her, Sayuri would not be alone and have support. She also made the woman promise to inform Tsunade of the situation. The last thing Anko and Sayuri wanted was to cause the baby harm if she went on a mission. Anko promised that she'd try her best to not tell Genma and Kakashi. It was something that Sayuri wanted to do but was aware if Anko was pressured or if it slipped out accidentally that it was fine too. They stopped for a quick rest as the sun rose. A few hours later the sun was fully up and the four ate their breakfast. Anko shot her gaze to Kakashi and then to Genma. "So Sayuri's little brother and Hanabi Hyuga? I saw her walking about with that little fox on her shoulder yesterday afternoon before you told me about the mission. Looks like there was a lot of love in the air. Maybe Shizune and I will take a visit to that island." Genma mused with a chuckle. Anko tensed. Kakashi chuckled and nodded. "I'd recommend visiting there. It's got a great looking place and her family are very hospitable. Jiraiya said he was staying there for a while when we were leaving."

"Anko, are you okay? You haven't eaten all of your food." Gai spoke up. Anko snapped her gaze to the man and nodded. "Yeah, just spaced out for a bit." she muttered before continuing eating. Kakashi glanced at Anko with his visible eye. He wasn't going to say anything but when she arrived that night he could smell Sayuri's scent on Anko thanks to his dog like senses. He could also smell tears. Something was nagging at him but with Gai and Genma about he didn't want to force Anko to talk about something that seemed to be a private matter. One thing was for sure; it concerned Sayuri. Anko caught Kakashi looking at her and arched her eyebrow silently as she ate. The Copy Ninja shrugged, his plate already empty and his mask had never moved. He sat back and pulled out his book to wait on the others to finish so they could continue on their way. Kakashi wanted this mission to be completed swiftly and efficiently. He just wanted to be back in Konoha with Sayuri.

Tsunade entered the examination room to see Sayuri sitting in one of the chairs, knees shaking nervously as she bit her thumbnail without breaking it. The Hokage noticed her pale complexion, bloodshot and puffy eyes and the dark rings under them. "Sayuri. What's the matter?" the woman asked, shutting the door firmly and sat down in the chair opposite her. "What I say doesn't leave this room. You tell no one. Especially Shizune!" Sayuri pleaded. Tsunade nodded. "Of course." Swallowing and taking a deep, shaky breath Sayuri spoke. "I went to a doctor on our way home and I'm pregnant. About three months, maybe a week more." She began. "I don't know who the father is. I've thought it through. I was with Genma but Kakashi and I also slept together in the same time frame. I know because it's been around three months since we caught Kosuke." Sayuri continued. "Is there any way to tell who the father is? A test." Tsunade sat back. "I can do a test but I need Genma and Kakashi here to do it." she watched Sayuri put her head in her hands. "Are you worried about if the baby is Genma's?" Sayuri nodded. "What if Shizune and Genma break up because of this? Kakashi might hate me too." she whispered. "I doubt anyone will hate you." Tsunade said putting her hand on Sayuri's shoulder. "Now, you can't be going on missions so I'll have you start work at the Academy. If I have you stop work altogether people will get suspicious. Go to the Academy tomorrow morning and speak to Iruka." she said with a smile. Sayuri gave a weak smile and stood. "Thank you Tsunade-sama. I should probably send word to my family too at some point." she said before thinking about her mother mentioning only a couple of weeks ago that she longed to be a grandmother. Silently, Sayuri turned and left the room, deciding to go for a walk to clear her head and get some fresh air. With Asami next to her, she didn't feel so alone. As she walked around the village she came by the estates. "You are so lucky Hanabi!" a female voice gushed from the entrance gate to the Hyuga compound. "I want a fox just like him!" another said. Looked like Mamoru was getting attention. Hanabi laughed and scooped the white fox into her arms. "Sorry but he's all mine." she grinned, spotting Sayuri and Asami walking their way. "Sayuri-san!" she called out happily. The older woman walked over, Asami captured the attention of Hanabi's friends. "hello Hanabi-chan, girls." she greeted with a smile. "Hope you haven't spoiled Mamoru too much already." she teased the Hyuga who grinned at the fox lounging in her arms. "Not too much. Um Sayuri-san…aren't these foxes meant to have summer coats?" she asked. "Normal arctic foxes do. But with the animals on the island, they tend to keep their colour constant. He seems to prefer a white coat so it won't change unless you ask him to." Sayuri explained lightly stroking the fox's head. Hanabi nodded in understanding and looked to the fox that lay contently in her arms. "W-will Kazuhiko come?" she asked biting her lip. "To Hinata's wedding, I mean?" she specified. Sayuri smiled at the girl kindly. "I'd like to think he would want nothing more. But since he's now the Lord of the village, it might be difficult." she told her honestly. A sudden feeling washed over Sayuri. "Sorry but I have to get going." she said hurriedly before she made a handsign and touched Asami; the two disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She appeared in her apartment and dashed into the bathroom to be sick in the toilet, glad to get there just in time. Asami climbed up onto the sofa next to Renzo and lay her head on his neck. While Morio climbed ontop of his parents and curled up "Human pregnancy seems so horrible. All that throwing up…" the female shuddered. Renzo chuckled and yawned. "I'm just glad I'm male. But I wonder how Kakashi will react to the news." The sound of the toilet flushing and the tap running came to the animals. Sayuri rinsed her mouth out thoroughly and rubbed her now pounding head before she left the room and walked up the stairs to sleep in her bed seeing as the sofa was occupied by the panther family. Collapsing tiredly on the bed, she lay her hand on her stomach as she drifted to sleep.

It took over a month but they had finally completed the mission. The whole time Kakashi had been worried about Sayuri. Something had been nagging him and Anko's behaviour didn't make things easier. When he mentioned her name she tensed or would quickly change the topic. It wasn't just talking about Sayuri that made Anko react weirdly it was when she was around Genma and himself. The silver haired ninja sighed and walked into the village. He nodded to Izumo and Kotetsu who merely grinned widely at him. He stretched as they walked up the stairs to the Hokage's office, they knocked and entered when Tsunade called for them to enter. Her face was a mix of emotions as she regarded the four. Genma grinned happily at Shizune who smiled softly. Kakashi noted the assistant's eyes were wary and slightly conflicted as she looked at the man with the senbon in his mouth. Genma noticed it too. "Congratulations on the successful completion of the mission. Kakashi, Genma go to the Academy. You two are to help Iruka with preparing for the graduation exams for this years classes. You are excused." she told them. Genma frowned but nodded. "I expect reports from all of you by tomorrow afternoon." she added as they all left. The two jounin entered the Academy and went to Iruka's classroom. They stopped to see Sayuri sitting behind the desk. Her head whipped around. "Kakashi-san, Genma-san…" she greeted softly, being formal for the sake of the students in the room. She swallowed hard, trying to keep calm. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked before snapping her head in the direction of the students in the room. "Dan, stop passing notes and do your work." she ordered in a strong but gentle tone. A pale haired boy at the back dropped the note and went back to his work. "Actually we're looking from Iruka-san. This was his classroom…" Kakashi spoke, his single eye drawn to his lover's chest. Either he'd been gone for far too long or her breasts had definitely gotten bigger. "Oh it was. It's my classroom now. Renzo, could you show them to Iruka's new room?" she asked. The male panther stretched out on the floor yawned and got to his feet before silently stalking out of the room. Kakashi frowned and threw a concerned look to the woman he loved before he walked with Genma and Renzo to find Iruka. He'd talk to her later. His visible eye fell to the panther who seemed tense. "So Renzo, how's Sayuri been since we've been gone?" the copy ninja asked. The panther turned his head to fix a sharp gaze on the silver haired man. "Not the best if I'm being perfectly honest." he answered. Genma clapped his hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "Aw, she's missed you. Although I wonder what's up with Shizune. She seemed off." he mused. "The time you two have been gone has been hard on both women. I hope you two will stick by them and support them. You do love them?" the panther spoke his gaze fixed on Kakashi more than Genma. It seemed to the ninja that Renzo was looking at him in a 'Break my mistress' heart and I'll rip your throat open.' The two men nodded silently and thankfully ran into Iruka at that moment. "Tsunade-sama told us to come and help with graduation stuff." Genma told the teacher. He nodded and smiled before asking Renzo to keep an eye on his class while he worked with the two ninja in an empty room. The three heard the class talk excitedly, some cheering when the panther entered. The three men spent the rest of the school day going over what would be the best jutsu test for each class as well as going over questions on the written tests. The written was always just a way to determine team formations if the students passed the jutsu test. Genma sat back and stretched when they finished. "Okay, so when is the jutsu exam?" he asked. "The written will be at the start of next week, so the week after." Iruka decided. "Kakashi are you taking on a genin squad this year?" he asked. Kakashi had been thinking about it and nodded. His team was grown up so maybe he could take on a new group to teach. The three stood and Genma disappeared to meet up with Shizune. Iruka and Kakashi walked down the halls. "Have you seen Sayuri?" Iruka asked trying to seem calm and casual. "She was the one that sent Renzo to lead us to you. I didn't think she'd take up teaching." Kakashi said, putting his hands in his pockets. "You seem awfully calm about all of this…." Iruka said with a frown. Kakashi shrugged. "I'll miss going on missions with her but I'm not going to stop her from teaching here and I'll be getting a genin team soon." he answered, a frown forming beneath his mask. "Is there something I'm missing?" he asked. Iruka tensed and gave a nervous laugh. "Oh! I just remembered I left some things in my classroom! Excuse me, we'll talk later." he said and hurried down the hall, leaving Kakashi stunned and confused. Glancing in Sayuri's classroom he saw it was empty.

Kakashi found himself sitting in the ninja bar that evening, everyone was acting strange and he hadn't been able to find Sayuri. There had been no answer at her new apartment and didn't feel like breaking in. So here he was. A tired sigh caught his attention and looked to see Genma slide into the booth, sitting opposite him. "Women are complicated." the senbon user muttered before taking a swig of his beer. "I went to find Shizune but Sakura said she was busy with a patient. Then the girl gave me a weird look and asked me how Sayuri was. When I said I didn't know she got angry and stormed off." he told Kakashi who frowned. "Maybe Sakura was stressed. She's engaged to Sasuke and when she's not working long shifts at the hospital, she's on missions." he suggested before seeing Shizune and Anko enter the bar. The females spotted him and Genma before walking over. "You two were at the Academy right?" Shizune asked with a frown. "yeah, why?" Genma asked. "So you saw Sayuri then?" Anko asked nervously. "Why does everyone ask us about Sayuri? Yes we saw her, she's teaching now. Is there something we're missing?" the brunette male asked. Shizune's eyes bugged. "Missing? How can you miss something so obvious? She's nearly five months pregnant and you two don't see the bump?" Shizune demanded "How can you sit in here drinking when that woman is carrying the baby that could be either of yours?" Anko asked looking at them. The two men looked at the women with mouths hanging open and eyes wide. Pregnant? "We didn't know. We only saw her sitting behind a desk. She never said anything…" Kakashi explained in a tight voice. He and Genma exchanged looks before the two bolted up and ran for Sayuri's apartment. The two pounded on the door and sensed Sayuri coming closer. The slowly opened and the woman tensed, realising who it was. The men looked to her stomach and then to her face. She was shaking; nervous and scared. Kakashi and Genma were frozen in shock but the Copy Ninja was first to move, slowly he took a step forward and went to put his hand on her bump. Sensing him approach, Sayuri took a nervous step back. "Sayu…." Kakashi began in a soft voice, trying to calm her. "Please don't hate me." she whispered, Kakashi could hear the pain in her voice. Genma frowned at her words and walked towards her slowly along with Kakashi. "Why would we hate you?" Before she could answer, her face paled, she clamped her hand over her mouth and rushed to the bathroom. "She's been worried about ruining your lives." Asami spoke. " Thoughts of 'If the baby is Genma's Shizune will hate her and might leave him which would make Genma hate her. If it's Genma's, Kakashi will leave her' or 'If the baby is Kakashi's he'll feel pressured to stay with her when he might not want to have children with her.' She had been trying to hide it from Shizune but the medic is smart and worked out the timeframe and that Genma may be the father. But with you two gone there's been no way to determine the paternity." the animal explained. Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "That explains Anko's weird behaviour…" he muttered before walking to the bathroom. He tapped once before entering. Sayuri sat on the floor, back against the bathtub and head tilted back, facing the ceiling. Kakashi pulled out a facecloth from the towel rack and dampened it with cold water. He knelt down next to her and lay the cool, wet fabric on her forehead. "You can be a silly woman sometimes…" he told her while draping his arm around her shoulders. "When I told you I loved you I meant it. You being pregnant isn't going to scare me away even if the baby may not share my genetics. Whether you like it or not you're stuck with me and I'll do my best to support and look after you." he said as Genma crouched down in front of his ex. "Same here, well in terms of helping out if the baby is mine. I love you but not in that way." he grinned. "And if the baby is Kakashi's then it's gonna get an awesome Uncle Genma." he removed the senbon and kissed her cheek. "As much as I'd love to hang out on the bathroom floor, I'm going to track down Shizune and make sure everything is okay. If you want we can do a paternity test?" he asked. Sayuri nodded. "Yeah I'd like that. The scan didn't exactly help; Tsunade didn't see if the baby was reading porn or chewing a senbon…" she said jokingly while curling up next to Kakashi. Genma smiled softly and stood, leaving the pair alone. Kakashi scooped the woman into his arms and went in search of her bedroom that he found upstairs. He kicked off his sandals and lounged on the bed next to Sayuri, playing with her hair and keeping one hand on her stomach. "If the baby is yours…how do you feel about being a father?" she asked softly. "Terrified and excited actually. I never thought I'd fall in love let alone think about being a father." he replied. "Do you think everything will work out?" Sayuri asked worriedly. Despite Genma and Kakashi and even Shizune saying they weren't mad she was still anxious about them and how they felt. What if they were only saying this for her sake? Kakashi rubbed her stomach gently. "Everything will be fine. Stop worrying." he reassured her. Smiling softly, Sayuri closed her eyes. "It's hard being pregnant. I'm sick all the time, hormonal, fat and always tired. " she sighed. Kakashi chuckled and pulled down his mask to plant his lips on hers. "It'll be worth it. Although I'm not complaining with the increased size of your chest." he grinned as he made his way down her jaw to her neck. Sayuri lightly tapped him and pouted. "is that the only reason you're sticking around?" she asked playfully, trying to ignore how good it felt to have his lips on her skin. Kakashi merely chuckled against her skin and continued to kiss her neck. "No, no. I'm already pregnant. We don't need to have to do stuff like this until after the baby is born." she told him as she began to move away from him. Smirking, Kakashi grabbed her ankles and dragged her back into his arms. "Ah but since you're already pregnant, we could have all the sex we want. Personally I like that idea better." he offered with a sly smirk seeing the woman next to him blush. "But I'm bigger now and getting fatter." she protested. Kakashi rolled his eyes. "You are a little bigger and not fat. You are still very sexy and irresistible." After that he pulled her into a long and deep kiss.

A strange sound woke Kakashi. Groggily he lifted his head from the pillow and squinted, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He looked to the clock's glowing numbers and frowned. Three forty in the morning. Groaning, he rolled over and worked on getting back to sleep. He felt around for the warmth of Sayuri's body. When he found nothing, he sat up and looked around. She wasn't there, Kakashi climbed out of the bed and went in search of her. He'd spent the past two and half weeks in her new apartment, not wanting to leave her side. The genin graduation test had to be postponed for a few days due to Genma being called off for an important mission and Iruka came down with the flu. The copy ninja padded down the hall and down the stairs. Soon he found Sayuri in the kitchen. "What are you doing up? It's nearly four." he asked with a concerned frown. He watched the red haired woman lick her lips and lift the spoon in her hands back up to her now empty mouth. "Hungry." she answered. The copy ninja chuckled and eyed the contents of the bowl. "What are you eating?" The woman stopped mid-chew and narrowed her eyes slightly. "If you want any you have to make your own." she warned once she'd swallowed. "It's ice-cream with strawberries and cereal." she added, finally answering his question. Kakashi's eyebrows raised. Cereal with ice-cream? "Pregnancy cravings?" he guessed with a grin. "So what if it is? I've heard weirder things that women have eaten while pregnant. Just ask Kurenai." Sayuri retorted, Kakashi knew she had a point. He'd listen to Asuma complaining about all the things Kurenai would demand him to go out and buy during all times of the night. "So if you were hungry why didn't you wake me? I would have gotten it for you." he questioned the eating woman. She sighed. "Because I didn't know what it was I wanted until I was in the kitchen. But if it makes you feel any better I'll wake you next time." she grinned. Her smile fell a little. "What's today's date?" she asked. "Technically it's the first. Why?" "The results will be in today." Kakashi frowned. He and Genma had given DNA samples down at the hospital over a week and a half ago to determine the paternity of the baby. He was both nervous and excited about it. He walked over and kissed Sayuri's head. "Everything will be fine. We'll go down at a more reasonable hour with Genma and find out together."

"Is there any reason why Naruto is here?" Genma asked with a frown. In the room sat Kakashi, Sayuri, Shizune and himself. All of whom needed to be there. The blond however leaned against the wall grinning. "Hey I could be an Uncle and I want to know before any of the others do plus we have training with Kakashi-sensei straight after this. Sakura asked me to make sure he wasn't late." Kakashi glanced over to the whiskered blond. "You won't really be an Uncle to the baby Naruto, even if I am the father." he reminded. The younger male waved his hand, ignoring the statement. "I'll always be like an Uncle to your kids. Besides Kazuhiko and Hanabi seem like they're going to get married when Hanabi's old enough. Which makes Sayuri and Hanabi sister's in-law and Kazuhiko would be Hinata's brother in-law meaning we're all like in-laws and I get to be Uncle Naruto." Naruto grinned. Sayuri laughed and lightly rubbed her stomach. Kakashi blinked at the boy he'd taught since he was a genin and sighed. "Sure, whatever you say Naruto." the masked ninja said, deciding it would be best to leave the subject at that. The door opened and Tsunade stepped in, a file in her hand. She looked to Naruto curiously but didn't bother questioning his presence in the room. "Okay everyone I have the results." she said and opened the file. She read over the information and looked to Genma and then Kakashi, her face neutral. "The father of the baby is…" the Hokage paused, Kakashi and Genma glanced at each other, tense. "Gai." the blonde spoke. "WHAT?" The people in the room exploded. Tsunade burst out laughing and passed the file over to Shizune, unable to form a complete sentence with her long string of giggles. "April…fools!" the Hokage managed out, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Nearly gave me a heart attack…." Sayuri heard Kakashi say in an exhausted tone. Naruto had joined in laughing with Tsunade. "The looks on their faces!" the whiskered male hooted through his loud laughter. "Okay seriously." Shizune spoke up, ignoring the cackling blondes in the corner. "Kakashi, you are the father of the baby." the medic smiled at Kakashi warmly. Sayuri's hand reached out and took Kakashi's. The silver haired male looked to see the pregnant ninja smiling in his direction. "C'mon Kakashi-sensei. We've got training to do." Naruto said with a grin as Sayuri got to her feet. Lightly she squeezed Kakashi's arm. "Have fun. Are you coming over to mine later?" she asked. Kakashi looked down at her, "If you aren't sick of my presence yet I'll come over to yours." Sayuri laughed and left with Shizune, Genma following them closely. Naruto moved to the door to see his masked teacher staying where he was. "Go on ahead Naruto, I'll catch up to you and the others." The blond tilted his head at his teacher but nodded and left, leaving Kakashi alone with Tsunade. The Hokage looked to Kakashi curiously. "What's up Kakashi?" she asked. Rubbing the back of his neck he regarded the woman in front of him before speaking. "I want to ask you a favour."

"So Kakashi's the father…" Sasuke mused as he leant against the railing of the bridge while they waited for their teacher. Sakura squealed out excitedly. "Oh I can't wait to see the baby when it comes!" she gushed out happily with a peal of giggles. "Sayuri's probably going to kill Kaka-sensei if he's late to the birth." she grinned, Naruto grinned. "I'd pay to see that!" he laughed.

"The key word is 'if' he's late." Sai spoke up.

"Sai, this is Kakashi we're talking about. Being on time isn't exactly his strongest trait." Sakura informed him with a grin. Sasuke smirked.

"Although with pregnant women don't they get hormonal and have severe mood swings? I'm sure she'll scare Kakashi enough times before the birth to know to be there on time." the Uchiha countered. "Naruto didn't you say Kakashi-san was with you?" Sai asked.

"Yeah but he was staying behind to talk to grandma-Tsunade so that might be keeping him back."

"He always finds a way to be late…" Sakura sighed, leaning next to Sasuke as they waited.

"Hey Naruto!" a voice called. The blonde turned to see Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji walking onto the bridge. The blonde of the group grinned excitedly as she approached Naruto. There was a gleam in her eye and everyone recognised. When it came to Ino, that look only graced her face when she was listening to or giving out gossip. "Is it true? Is Kakashi really the father of Sayuri-san's baby?" her pale blue eyes glittered fiercely.

"Yeah it's true. But you and Sayuri get along well so why didn't you ask her?" Naruto asked.

"Because if it wasn't true I didn't want to upset her! Oh I can't wait to go out shopping for her baby shower! Do they know if it's a girl or a boy? I want to get them something really nice!" Ino said in excitement that sparked Saukra's all over again. "The baby shower! Ino, we have to take her out shopping for baby stuff too! I can imagine their baby already in cute little outfits!" the pink haired woman grinned. The men could only stare at the two females in stunned silence. If they got this excited over someone else's baby, how would they be when they were mothers? "Are baby's a topic of conversation that affect all women this way?" Sai asked blankly. The puff of smoke at Kakashi's sudden appearance went unnoticed to the babbling girls. Kakashi blinked and looked at the two in confusion and looked to one of the males for an explanation. "Baby talk." Shikamaru explained. "Congratulations by the way." the young man added. Smiling, Kakashi nodded. While he was ecstatic about being a father he was also worried if he would be a good one.


	22. Chapter 22

What was that? Kakashi sat up and looked around, faced with nothing but darkness. The noise was persisting. He tried moving but every part of him felt like lead, like he was wading through quick sand. Up ahead he could see a baby crying in its cot. Then he felt it. It was his baby crying! He just knew it was his child and it needed him, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't reach him or her. He just got further away. "Kakashi!" a voice made his eyes open. His visible eye cleared and he yawned from behind his mask. A pair of jade eyes looked down at him, framed by light pink hair. "Yes, Sakura, what is it?" he asked, by now his dream was regular. It still unnerved him but he could hide it's affect from others. Since learning the baby was his, the dream had started. "Set Naruto straight that you aren't naming the baby after him if it's a boy." The copy ninja blinked. That was a new one. Usually he would be woken up because of Naruto and Sasuke arguing or Sakura complaining that he shouldn't sleep all the time on their breaks during missions. Although everyone seemed to think of nothing but his and Sayuri's baby that hadn't even been born yet. She was seven months pregnant, getting bigger, more hormonal but even more beautiful to him with every day. "To be honest Sakura, we haven't decided on the baby's name yet. But I have a feeling we may name it after someone…it could be a girl you know, maybe you should casually suggest your name to Sayuri when we get back?" the copy ninja asked, grinning at the looks on his students faces. Sasuke looked surprised and was now possibly thinking about bringing his name up for consideration but would do it subtly when no one else was around, Sakura looked determined and dreamy at the thought of his child sharing her name. Naruto just looked smug at Sakura being proven wrong but was also imagining his name being passed down to his original sensei's child. "Who else has put their names forward?" Sai asked, looking up from his sketchpad. Kakashi scratched the back of his neck as he thought about it. "Anko, Ino, some teachers at the academy and Hanabi have all put their names forward if the baby is a girl and gave some other suggestions." Kakashi replied. "Hanabi, as in Hinata's little sister?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Well Hanabi and Kazuhiko seem to have fallen for each other during the visit back to The Village Hidden in the Marsh Valleys and since returning, Hanabi likes to spend time with Sayuri and helping her around the apartment if I'm away. And as for boy names Izumo, Kotetsu, Jiraiya, Asuma, and a couple of ANBU I used to work with have put their names into the conversation of the baby's name." the silver haired man continued before stretching out. "It would be easier if you found out the sex of the baby." Sai said with a curious tone. "Why don't you find out if you can?" Sakura sighed. "It's a parent thing Sai, some like to be surprised and wait until the birth." "But what's so surprising? It's going to be one or the other…" the kunoichi sighed and gave up trying to explain it to the artist. "How much longer until the little one comes?" he haired the girl ask him excitedly. "She's six months now so it'll still be a while…" Kakashi answered only to gain a laugh from Naruto. "If it's anything like you sensei, it'll be overdue by like another six months." Sakura giggled and even Sasuke gave a small chuckle at their teacher's expense. "I bet it'll look at Grandma Tsunade and apologize, it got lost on the path of life!" the laughter picked up. Kakashi glanced over at them silently but smirked.

"Well well, that is interesting!" a voice came from the thick canopy of trees around them. "The famed copy ninja is going to be a father?" "Bet the sprog would fetch a fine price…" "Perhaps we should pay the vulnerable mother to be a little visit?" the voices continued their conversation. Kakashi couldn't help but laugh and remain where he lay. "What's so funny Hatake?"

"Nothing really, I just can't picture the mother of my child as 'vulnerable'…you'd be dead before you could touch a hair on her head. Hell even calling our child 'sprog' will be reason enough to be killed nowadays, her mood swings are very violent." he informed them casually. The sound of multiple thuds came to him. Lying on the ground were the rouges, a Naruto clone on top of each of them. "Theses guys are barely Chunin…" Naruto grumbled with a frown. "Bring them anyway. I'm sure Ibiki would like to talk to them regardless." Each of them took a rouge and continued on the last part of their journey home. Their mission had been long but easy enough. It helped pay for things he'd need for the baby but with it getting closer to Sayuri's due date he'd need to take his name off the roster unless the mission was in serious need of him. He'd talk to Tsunade when he got back, he needed to speak to her anyway.

"Hey guys, don't bring up anything about those rouges and what they said to Sayuri." Kakashi told the group as they left the interrogation building. Naruto grinned. "Scared that she'll take it out on you sensei?" he asked. Kakashi sighed. "Just wait until Hinata gets pregnant I'm sure even she'll scare you. Extra hormones can do a lot of things to a pregnant woman. Even more so if the woman is a kunoichi." the masked ninja informed the blonde. "Sakura!" the group turned to see Ino rushing over with Hinata and Hanabi behind them. "We're going to take Sayuri to the hot springs and treat her at the spa, you coming?" the blonde girl asked with a smile. Sakura grinned and nodded. After kissing Sasuke's cheek she started off with the others. "We'll look after her for you Kakashi!" Hinata promised with a warm smile. Kakashi gave the girl's his usual eye crease smile and turned to head to the Hokage's office to hand in the report of the mission and discuss being taken off the roster for a while.

Sayuri relaxed in the hot water of the natural springs with Anko next to her. "I'm just saying Anko would be a nice, strong name for the baby if it was a girl…" the snake user said with a grin. Sayuri sighed and hung her head causing some of her long flame red locks to slip into the steaming water. "I'm not so sure yet…to be honest I have a strong feeling that it's a boy… I don't think 'Anko' would be best for him. Even if he's a Hatake he would be teased." she noted. Anko regarded her and grinned. "But if it's a girl…?" she prodded, Sayuri gave a laugh. "I'll think about it." she relented with a grin. "Think about what?" Anko turned her head while Sayuri merely grinned and closed her eyes as Ino, Hinata, Hanabi and Sakura approached the spring, wrapped in towels. Anko smirked smugly at the girls. "If the baby is a girl it may be named after me." she declared triumphantly. Even though Sayuri was blind, she knew the other girls were throwing her looks as they climbed into the water. "But it doesn't matter, I'm telling you, this baby is a boy." she informed them all with a smile, her hands folded lightly over her bump under the water.

"How can you be so sure?" Hanabi asked curiously.

"Mother's intuition…." Sayuri replied while stretching out and relaxing more into the water.

Kakashi lounged on the sofa, Icha Icha in one hand, the other lightly on Morio's head as the panther cub snored lightly on his chest. Pakkun and the other dogs lay around the living room with Asami and Renzo. Kakashi had moved in not long after he found out Sayuri was pregnant and with him came his dogs that the scarlet haired woman had no problem with. The panthers offered no objections and weren't hostile to the canines so it seemed they got along well which was odd seeing how cats and dogs were meant to be natural enemies. It amused Kakashi in a way. Tsunade had been surprised by his want to be taken off the roster but she understood and immediately accepted with the condition that if something urgent came up that only he could do then he had to take it. He agreed. It would be nice to actually take time out and relax while being there for Sayuri. Pakkun who lay on the arm rest next to Kakashi's head opened his eyes to regard his owner. "Everything sorted out with Tsunade?" he asked, Kakashi knew the dog wasn't referring to his name being off the roster or the mission he'd just completed. Silently Kakashi turned the page and let his gaze remain on the paper. "Yes, she said there were still things she needed to look into but it all seems good." Renzo glanced over at the silver haired male, his pale green eyes unrelenting as they fixed themselves on his face. Shifting slightly under the intensity of the stare he felt, Kakashi lifted his head until his mismatched eyes fell to Renzo. "What are you planning Kakashi?" the animal asked. Kakashi smiled reassuringly and was about to answer when Sayuri entered. All of the sleeping dogs shot up from the places that they had refused to move from for the last couple of hours and ran over to greet the woman. Laughing happily, Sayuri greeted each of them as she walked towards Kakashi who had sat up on the sofa. Settling down next to him, Sayuri tucked her feet underneath her as she lay her side and head against him. Kakashi wrapped his arm around her and lightly placed a mask covered kiss on her head. "Good time at the spa?" he asked. Sayuri smiled lazily and contently as she nodded. The copy ninja chuckled lightly, she looked so relaxed and happy. "I missed you." she murmured and soon enough her breathing became deeper and Kakashi knew she'd fallen asleep. Not in a rush to move the woman he loved, he kept her close and settled both of them into a comfortable lying position on the sofa. While Sayuri slept, Kakashi lifted his book up again and continued to read. He glanced down to see Morio snuggling into each of them, his head next to the bump.

"So you're wedding ceremony will be sometime next month?" Sayuri asked Hinata with a smile as the young couple dropped by to visit. Hinata smiled and nodded. "Yes we cleared it with Hokage-sama that none of our friends and family will have that weekend off from missions." The young woman said with a light blush. "This time you'll have plenty of time to get a dress for the big day." Sayuri mused with a grin. "Sakura and the others are taking me out in a couple of days to try on some things. I have no idea what style I want. Would you like to come with us Sayuri?" the dark haired bride asked kindly. Sayuri gave a smile. "Thank you for the offer but I'm afraid I'd be of little help to you in saying which dress looks best on you." she said in a joking way but Hinata could hear some pain in the older woman's voice when she talked of being unable to see. "You'll look beautiful in anything though Hinata so don't feel pressured into getting what others like most. Pick the dress you love." she continued with a smile. Naruto had been busy begging and pleading with Kakashi to name the baby after himself or Hinata but looked over and grinned at Hinata. "Sayuri's right Hinata, I know that Sakura and Ino can get overexcited but don't let them sway your decision. It's your wedding not theirs." he said before looking back up to the copy ninja who was unable to move. The kyuubi container had latched his arms around Kakashi's legs and refused to let go since arriving. Kakashi had been standing in the middle of the living room for over an hour, looking down at the blonde lying on the ground. "Naruto this isn't just my decision you know. Besides I thought you'd name your son after yourself and Hinata…" Kakashi sighed. "Nope we already have our kids names decided. For once I'm more prepared than you are sensei!" Naruto grinned, Sayuri laughed and continued to drink her tea. "I hope it isn't anything like Miso and Ramen?" Kakashi deadpanned making Naruto gasp and curse for having not thought of those names. "Any way. If we have boys they'll be Minato and Kiba and if we have girls they'll be Kushina and Kurenai. We got to pick a name each." the blonde grinned. "Those are lovely names, think you can handle the possibility of four children?" Sayuri asked. The young couple exchanged looks and smiled. "I think we could but we wouldn't be having them all at once." Naruto grinned. "Have you two found a place of your own yet?" Kakashi asked suddenly. Since their marriage in Sayuri's home village the two had been living in the Hyuga estate but were looking for their own place. "No, not yet." Naruto said with a frown. As Kakashi turned the page of his book he smiled from behind his mask. "Take my apartment then." The young newlyweds looked at the man with wide eyes and mouths hanging open. "Consider it a wedding present. It's bigger than your old one Naruto and it'll give you two privacy and time to save up if you want to get a bigger place." Sayuri smiled warmly as she listened to Kakashi and felt her baby kick her stomach. "But it's too much!" Hinata protested in shock. "And isn't the rent expensive?" Naruto asked wondering how he and Hinata could save up when they would have rent and bills. "No rent. I bought the apartment a long time ago. Go on and take it. If you two don't I'll probably give it to someone else." Hinata got up and hugged the older man, Naruto bounced to his feet and hugged his old sensei too. Kakashi took advantage of Naruto standing to give back the hug and finally sit down. Kakashi absently played with Sayuri's hair as he watched Naruto and Hinata hug each other excitedly at their new home. The happiness was suddenly short-lived a puff of smoke appeared and an ANBU officer stood in front of them. He looked to Kakashi. "Kakashi Hatake you are urgently required at the top floor of the ANBU interrogation building." a voice reported from behind a dog mask. The Copy Ninja sighed and nodded, watching the ANBU disappear. "Naruto, Hinata you stay here with Sayuri for me." Kakashi said before he left the door. Sayuri glared at nothing. "I can look after myself. Just because I'm pregnant he thinks I can't look after myself." she muttered darkly to herself. "Naruto, Hinata I'll get the key for Kakashi's apartment for you after I make tea." she said with a warm smile as she slowly began to get up. "No no that's okay! I'll make the tea Sayuri while you get the key." Naruto watched the two women move out of the room before he looked to see Renzo and Asami staring out the window, looking out over the entire village. The nin dogs looked uneasy too. Morio climbed onto Naruto's lap and sighed. "Mistress Sayuri doesn't like things being kept from her. I'd hate to be Kakashi when he gets home." The whiskered male frowned and scratched the cub's ears. For a while Sayuri didn't turn up. Hinata walked in from the kitchen with a tray of freshly made tea when they heard her voice. "Naruto, Hinata…I'm not feeling so good so I'm going to lie down for a bit. The key isn't up stairs like I thought. Kakashi must have moved it." "Okay Sayuri, you rest. We'll stay down here until Kakashi comes back." Naruto called out cheerfully. As the two sat back with the animals and drank their tea they silently worried about Kakashi and what he was wanted for in the interrogation building.

Kakashi had a hard set frown shaping his masked lips something didn't feel right. Deep down he knew something bad was going to happen. He only worried that Sayuri would be okay with Naruto and Hinata. Kakashi swiftly made his way up the large staircases and reached the top floor, nearly colliding with Ibiki. The scarred male looked at Kakashi with a confused frown. "Something I can help you with?" Ibiki asked. Now it was Kakashi's turn to look confused. "I was told by an ANBU that I was urgently required here." Now things were really getting weird. It wasn't sitting well with Kakashi at all. "IBIKI-SAN!" a female voice called out in a panic. Kakashi looked to see Ino rushing towards them. She skidded to a halt, light blue eyes wide as they fell on Kakashi. "Where's Sayuri?" she demanded sharply. "At home with Naruto and Hinata. Why?" The blonde swallowed, and looked to Ibiki. "I was interrogating one of the rogues that Kakashi brought back last week. And I looked into his memories. He and his 'friends' planned to get caught. They all work for some man who was behind Sayuri's kidnap all those years ago. He's been planning to get her back since the Raikage's ball and he's even more determined to get his hands on her since finding out she's pregnant." she reported quickly and looked to Kakashi who was frozen in place before he turned on his heel and vaulted over the banister, sailing down the flights. They stole an ANBU uniform and tricked him here long enough to get to her. He thought angrily. Landing on the ground floor, he didn't miss a beat and raced back to the apartment. Pushing chakra into his feet he sped up, praying that Naruto and Hinata hadn't been so easily tricked as he had. He burst into the apartment to find Naruto and Hinata sitting on the sofa. They looked at him, startled. "Kakashi-sensei, what is it?" Naruto asked. "Where's Sayuri!" he demanded sharply. "U-upstairs she called down saying she wasn't feeling well. We thought it best to leave her be and rest." the blonde sputtered as he followed his teacher up the stairs. Bursting into their bedroom, Kakashi found a figure in the shadows, leaning against the wall by the open window. "Where is she?" Kakashi snarled. The figure chuckled darkly. "Calm yourself or you'll never know." he said smoothly. "I'm a clone so if you attack I'll disappear and your little Sayuri will get further away. " Naruto glared at the figure, he sounded familiar. From the figure's pocket, he pulled out a blade and twirled it deftly as he stood out into the light. Kakashi's and Naruto's eyes widened at the now visible face. "Long time no see, leaf ninja. I was planning on saying that to dear Sayuri but…well it might be in bad taste. Well that should be long enough. I might see you two later or if you ever want to do feel free to visit the inn." Hideo grinned before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sayuri screamed out as she felt her hand being broken viciously. "That's just so you don't think of making any handsigns. Now let's get down to business." Hideo grinned, watching Sayuri pant sharply, cradling her broken hand against her chest while the other was folded instinctively over her stomach. "W-why are you doing this?" she choked out through her pain. She regained consciousness with a broken ankle, sore back and the feeling of blood running down from her hairline. "Why? Because little Lady, I was the one that ordered those rogues to kidnap you all those years ago. And what did they do? Bring back damaged goods and a fucking Sanin on my tail." Hideo roughly grabbed her hair by the roots and yanked her head back so he could look in her eyes. "I thought you'd be no use to me blind. Too much hassle so I didn't bother searching for you again. And well wasn't I surprised when a red haired brat stumbled into my inn a couple years later. So I looked after you , watched you and became interested in your abilities once more. Blind or not I wasn't for letting you go but I couldn't let you think I was your enemy. That's when my son came into the plan."

"But Kenta wasn't a bad person. He was never my enemy." Sayuri gasped out through her pain, tears of fear streaming down her cheeks. "Not Kenta, Kosuke!" Hideo snarled. "No one knew Kosuke was my son though. I needed to appear the humble, welcoming inn owner. But yes you are right about Kenta, he was too soft to take over the criminal side of the family business. We kept you for ten years and then those fucking Konoha shinobi had to turn up and rescue you. To be honest I thought you would have died, especially after Kosuke beating you and using that blade of his on you. But oh no. Your luck had to get better and better. Word came that you entered the Chunin exams and then the most moving of all. The lost Lady Kurosawa was reunited with her father after thirteen long years." Hideo growled, roughly releasing her hair. Sayuri remained lying on the cold ground, leaning against a wall. The older man sighed and stretched out.

"I've been thinking for so long how I was going to get my revenge on you. Escaping yeah that pissed me off but you took both of my sons from me. You say you liked Kenta so why did you kill him?"

"I didn't I swear! I was fighting Kosuke in a hotel. Kosuke or Atsuchi killed Kenta!" Sayuri argued back defiantly. "And Kosuke got what he deserved, he may have been your son but he was a sadistic fucking bastard with no heart or conscience. I only wished I had killed him that day when I had the chance!" Roaring out angrily, Hideo bent over and slapped her furiously across the face. "Don't interrupt me you bitch." he spat. "So on the night of the Raikage's ball I gathered my men and we planned how to capture you. While we planned I thought over and over how to get my revenge. Should I torture and kill you? Should I kill those close to you to make you understand what it felt to lose someone so close to you like a child? And then the gods smiled on me and I found out you were pregnant." Sayuri's unseeing eyes widened. "No!" she whimpered, trying to shield her unborn from the man she thought she could trust. "Yes, Sayuri, yes. I was going to kill the baby but I thought that too simple. I then thought of keeping you until you gave birth or if I grew impatient I'd cut him out of you and leave you at a hospital before disappearing with your child. All were good ideas however something better came to me. If it hadn't been for Kakashi Hatake you would still be at the inn. So here's what's going to happen my dear. I cut the brat out of you, seriously damage and maim your body and leave your corpse out for Hatake to find. And that way he's lost you and will never see his child. I know you're only seven months but it should be fine." he grinned and laughed pulling out his blade ready to get started. Before the blade touched her, Hideo glared behind him at the sound of barking and the feel of chakra rapidly approaching. Quickly he dragged Sayuri to her feet and held her firmly, blade at her throat. "Stop now or I slit her throat." he growled. Kakashi, the dogs, Hinata and Naruto slammed to a sudden halt. "Kakashi…" Sayuri whimpered, "I'm so sorry! He's going to take the baby." she whispered, fear for her child making her stay as still as she could. Hideo sneered at Kakashi. "Seems I didn't hold you back long enough. I take it my men have been taken care of too." he grinned. Kakashi stared at Sayuri even in the darkness he could see her broken hand, bleeding head and broken ankle. "Now Ino!" the copy ninja yelled. Hideo made his move to slit Sayuri's throat when his hand halted and his head lowered. When he lifted it again, a relieved expression covered his face. Swiftly his hand threw the blade on the ground. "I-ino? You took over his mind?" Sayuri whispered, too scared to speak louder. She tensed, feeling Hideo's arms wrap around her in a hug. "It's okay now. I'll heal you as soon as I'm back in my body." Sayuri was shaking from head to toe, her lip trembling. Kakashi rushed forward and took her into his arms while Naruto pinned Hideo just as Ino left his body. Hideo blinked and looked at the blonde on top, ferocious glare and kunai pointed over his neck dangerously, one move and Hideo would die. The man who had been so close to his planned revenge glared at them all and screamed out in frustration. Ino rushed over from her hiding place and reached out but froze along with Kakashi when she whispered. "My water just broke."

Kakashi sat in the waiting room. Sayuri had been rushed into the be healed and scanned to see if everything was okay with the baby and if Sayuri had actually gone into labour or not. Tsunade had told him to stay where he was for the time being. He looked up to see the blonde walk towards him. "The baby is fine. It seems the stress of everything caused her water to break but she isn't going into labour. However it is still serious so she'll be in the hospital for the time being." Kakashi sighed with relief and nodded. "Her injuries." "I healed everything after I knocked her out. She was too stressed and in need of rest anyway." "And what about the issue I talked to you about those months ago?" he asked. Tsunade smirked. "All taken care of, Kakashi. Although Sayuri doesn't know a thing, she's going to be pissed when she finds out what you've done." the Hokage said with a hand on her hip. Kakashi chuckled and nodded. "I'll take whatever happens. She's safe and shouldn't be too mad. " Tsunade laughed and shook her head. "She's asleep and should be for a while. Go on home, we'll get you if you're needed which I doubt will happen." Nodding Kakashi headed home. He lay on the sofa with the animals around him. Almost immediately he fell into a long, deep sleep that thankfully had no recurring dream or any type of dreams for that matter. He bolted awake when he head pounding on the door. "OI HATAKE YOU IN THERE?" Anko's voice boomed at him though the wood. "WAKE UP AND GET YOUR ASS TO THE HOSPITAL, SAYURI'S HAVING THE BABY!" That got him up. The copy ninja threw the door open and sped off with Anko. He rushed into Sayuri's hospital room. He wasn't greeted with the sight of Sayuri's unseeing eyes turned in his direction. A thick white bandage was wrapped around her forehead and over her eyes. "YOU!" She growled, snatching at thin air. "Told you…." Tsunade muttered to him as she remained by the bedside. "You went behind my back and never even talked to me about something so serious! You better have a goddamn good reason for this!" she snapped, pointing at the bandage over her eyes. Kakashi sighed and walked over and too her hand.

"You told me a long time ago all the things that you couldn't do because your sight was taken from you. I could hear the way it hurt you every time you tried to pass it off as no big deal. I wanted to see if there was something that could be done. But I'm not going to lie. I had my own selfish reasons too. I want to see you look at me. I want to see your eyes meet mine, I want you to watch our child grew up instead of hear and feel it happen. Those are my reasons for wanting you to get your sight back. I love you Sayuri and don't want you to endure something that can be dealt with." Sayuri was silent and Kakashi noticed tears soaking into her bandages. She pulled him forward into a hug. "I love you too and I want all those things. But I have a condition." she murmured. "You are to never wear your mask again in our home. You are not hiding that face from me, our child or our friends. Wear it at missions but not in the place we live." Kakashi was silent but gave in and nodded. He could live with that condition. Suddenly Sayuri tensed and hissed in pain. "Your child is taking it's time Kakashi. Looks like it takes after you in being late." Tsunade laughed. "Ah but technically the baby is early but a couple of months." Kakashi joked but immediately stopped laughing when Sayuri's hand clamped down on his. "I….HATE….YOU!" she growled out like some sort of possessed demon. This was only the start of it. She wasn't even fully dilated yet…this was going to be a long long day. Glancing at the clock, he noted the time. Eight in the morning…. And so it progressed. The contractions were very far apart and it wasn't until five in the afternoon that she was a mere four centimetres dilated. It was then that Naruto wandered in. He looked at the bandage around Sayuri's eyes and grinned. "Why have you got that on your head Sayuri. Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?" he joked. Roaring out, Sayuri attempted to lunge at the boy but Kakashi and Tsunade held her back. Naruto knew then that if he was going to stay in the room he was to do so quietly near the door in case he needed a quick getaway. Kakashi rubbed Sayuri's arm gently. "You're doing great." he tried to comfort and reassure her at one stage only to be snapped back at with. "Oh am I? Thanks for the assessment Kakashi! Be sure to let me know when my performance lacks!" Tsunade had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud at this. Three hours later there was only a couple centimetres of progress made. Finally when midnight came, Tsunade announced Sayuri could begin to push. That's when things got a lot worse. Sayuri's grip tightened considerably on his hand, her anger grew and she vented all of her pain and exhaustion onto him. She cursed everything about him, blamed him for everything, she said she hated him, she ranted to him about things he'd forgotten to do or done wrong -not just around their apartment but in their relationship too-going as far back as when they met. It was six the next morning when she collapsed back against the bed, exhausted and crying. "I can't do this anymore." she whined. "You're almost there Sayuri. One more big push and the baby will be here." Tsunade urged. Hanging her head, Sayuri pushed herself up once more and used the last of her energy to scream and push. She was met with the sound of a baby's squealing cries and Kakashi saying "He's perfect." before she slumped back and finally let her body sag and relax. "Twenty two hours of labour, Kakashi you're a fucking bastard…" she managed out weakly with a small laugh.

Tsunade cut the chord, washed and wrapped the baby boy before inspecting him with her chakra. He was premature but over all was very healthy and wouldn't need to be put into an incubator. Smiling she placed the baby into Kakashi's arms as she placed one glowing hand on Sayuri's forehead. Her free hand began to slowly unravel the bandages until they fully fell away. Tsunade removed her hand and frowned when Sayuri kept her eyes closed. "It's okay Sayuri I healed you enough so you won't be sensitive to light and your vision won't be blurred." she said with a smile. Sayuri chewed her lip anxiously, still keeping her eyes closed. Kakashi smiled and gently passed their child over to his mother, he knew what Sayuri wanted. "Go ahead." he said, keeping his arm around her shoulders. Sayuri took a slow, deep breath and hesitantly began to open her eyes. Everything focussed quickly and for the first time in thirteen years, Sayuri could see things in stead of being met with total darkness. She couldn't have asked for a better sight. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she looked at her son. He was beautiful, it amused her that he had a little tuft of silver hair on his head. She wondered what colour his eyes would be. "He's tiny but perfect." she choked out, blinking back the tears. Sayuri swallowed and turned her head to come face to face with the silver haired male with a mask d covering most of his face, his head band was resting on the bedside table. She was mesmerised with his mismatched eyes. Smiling she reached forward with one hand and let her fingers hook into his mask. "You promised." she reminded. Kakashi chuckled, not caring that Naruto was close to climbing onto the bed in search of a good look at his teacher's face that was about to be revealed. In one movement, the cloth was around his neck and his face was out in the open. Sayuri's eyes were wide and her cheeks immediately flared red. "The real thing is so much better than what I felt and pictured in my head." She managed out before pulling him forward and capturing his mouth with hers. After they pulled away Kakashi smirked at her. "Marry me." he said, stunned, Sayuri merely nodded with a wide and happy grin. A small noise made the couple look down to see a pair of big mismatched eyes looking up at them. His left was the dark, near black that he got from his father while the right was a bright shining blue of his mother. "We still need a name…" Kakashi mused with a wide, proud smile. "Seeing as you went through so much you can name him." he said. "And I'll name the next one." He grinned when Sayuri snapped her now seeing gaze onto his face in shock. "You want more?" "Of course." he grinned wider. Slowly she composed herself, the exhaustion and the events was making her slow to act. She looked to the clock and saw the date on the calendar next to it. "Since today would have been my grandfather's birthday we'll name our baby after him." Sayuri smiled, the sight took Kakashi's breath away. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes along with the warm smile made Kakashi sure he had made the right decision in getting his now fiancée's sight back. "So what's his name?" Naruto asked with a wide fox grin. Sayuri smiled down at the yawning baby and was about to speak when the door burst open, Sasuke and Sakura followed by Genma, Anko and Shizune. Everyone was shocked to see Sayuri looking at them directly in the eye and to see Kakashi's bare face. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Tomio Hatake." Sayuri greeted, passing the baby over to his 'uncle' Naruto. Settling back, Sayuri lay on the bed and smiled as Kakashi lay on the bed next to her. Wrapping his arms around her he kissed her forehead. "Thank you for everything." she murmured softly, lying her head against his chest. "For turning up when you did and pretty much interfering but rescuing and always being there…even if you were a closed minded jackass in the beginning. If it wasn't for you I would be in that inn still, vulnerable, isolated and unloved. Thank you for seeing me for my strengths and seeing me as someone who was worthy of your trust and love." Kakashi smiled at her words before speaking softly. "Thank you for teaching me the lesson I've been teaching for years. 'Look underneath the underneath'. To see what can't be seen…"

**A:N/ I can't believe I've finally finished this fic. I loved writing this and I just want to thank EVERYONE who read it and reviewed it as I wrote it. Be on the look out for my new fics that i'm currently writing but haven't published just yet. One is a KibaxOC and another is a SasukexOC one. Also for fans of To See What Can't Be Seen, some sort of sequel will be following. Well it's not really a sequel. It will be a series of chapters of Kakashi and Sayuri and their lives following this fic. The chapters wont be in order also if you want to request suggestions of chapters you'd like to see e.g 'Tomio's first word' then please feel free to do so :) I love you all! x**

**-Erreki **


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